Japan First: LISTEN Supports Apple Podcasts' New HLS Video Format, Adds Video Feature for External ShowsA · FULL TRANSLATION
- Podcast host LISTEN becomes Japan's first domestic provider to support Apple Podcasts' HLS video delivery
- A new feature lets shows hosted elsewhere add video via LISTEN
- The service is operated by OND Inc.
- Video is becoming the podcast industry's next battleground
LISTEN claiming 'Japan's first' on Apple's HLS video podcasts reflects podcasting's pivot to video. YouTube is now the world's largest podcast platform, Spotify subsidizes video shows heavily, and Apple has followed with HLS streaming — with audio ad rates stagnant, video is the industry's collective bet on better monetization. How fast hosts support new specs decides where creators migrate, making this a classic standards land grab.
The cleverer move is the add-video feature for externally hosted shows: creators need not migrate to use LISTEN's video pipeline, turning competitors' customers into half-users and planting seeds for future switching. For podcast ecosystems like Taiwan's, where hosting is dominated by a few local players, the video infrastructure race is just beginning.
As podcasts grow screens, can the unique value of an ears-only medium survive?
OND Inc. announced that its podcast hosting service LISTEN has become the first domestic hosting provider in Japan to support Apple Podcasts' new HLS-based video podcast delivery, simultaneously launching a 'video add-on' feature for shows distributed via external hosts.
Apple Podcasts recently introduced a video delivery specification based on HLS (HTTP Live Streaming), allowing creators to publish podcasts with video on Apple's platform. LISTEN's early support means Japanese creators can publish HLS video podcasts directly through its hosting service.
The video add-on feature also lets programs hosted on other services attach video through LISTEN, lowering the barrier for creators to experiment with video podcasting.