Apple has added a fully integrated video podcasting experience to its Podcasts app, allowing users to switch seamlessly between audio and video, download episodes for offline viewing, and use picture‑in‑picture mode. The update, announced on February 16 2026, will roll out across the Apple ecosystem in the spring and is expected to deepen engagement for both listeners and creators.
The move positions Apple to compete directly with Spotify, YouTube, and Netflix, all of which have embraced video podcasts for several years. Spotify introduced video podcasts in mid‑2020 and expanded the format widely in October 2021; YouTube reports that over one billion people watched video podcasts monthly as of March 2025; and Netflix has begun adding video podcasts to its streaming service. By adding video, Apple seeks to capture a share of this growing segment and to strengthen its Services revenue stream.
Apple’s Services segment already generated $109.16 billion in 2025, up 13.5% from $96.17 billion in 2024. The segment’s high margins—around 73%—are driven by the App Store, iCloud, Apple Music, and advertising services. The new video podcast feature is expected to add a new advertising revenue channel and to further accelerate the Services growth trajectory by attracting more creators and listeners to the platform.
Apple will partner with Acast and Amazon‑owned ART19 for dynamic video ad insertion, a model that charges ad networks on an impression‑based fee. This partnership builds on Apple’s existing advertising business, which is still a relatively small portion of total revenue but has been expanding. The video podcast format is expected to generate additional ad revenue and to give creators more control over monetization, potentially increasing creator retention and platform stickiness.
Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services, said, "Twenty years ago, Apple helped take podcasting mainstream by adding podcasts to iTunes, and more than a decade ago, we introduced the dedicated Apple Podcasts app. Today marks a defining milestone in that journey. By bringing a category‑leading video experience to Apple Podcasts, we're putting creators in full control of their content and how they build their businesses, while making it easier than ever for audiences to listen to or watch podcasts." The announcement underscores Apple’s strategy to deepen its high‑margin recurring revenue base and to lock users further into its ecosystem.
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