Apple Podcasts Jake Shapiro on HLS Video, Monetization, iOS 27 Updates, and the Future of Podcasting

How can HLS video, dynamic ad insertion, and omnichannel distribution transform podcasting—and creator revenue? In this episode of PodBiz, Norma Jean Belenky and John Kiernan speak with Jake Shapiro, Head of Creator Partnerships at Apple, about the evolution of video podcasting on Apple Podcasts. Jake shares how Apple is implementing HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) video, opening up new monetization opportunities through dynamic ad insertion, and expanding consumption across Mac OS and tvOS in living rooms worldwide. As he puts it: “Where creators have cultivated a community, that's really where the attention is focused... and the money follows that by and large.” Here are some insightful moments within the episode: Why loyal audience engagement is the true engine for podcast monetization How HLS video seamlessly pairs with RSS while keeping creators in full control The big unlock of dynamic ad insertion (DAI) and visual companions for video ads Why video expands show reach, boosts completion rates, and supercharges follower growth New iOS 27 and tvOS updates, including search within shows and living room playback How human editorial curation and personalized discovery cross global borders Jake Shapiro is the Head of Creator Partnerships at Apple, leading initiatives that support creators and podcast publishers worldwide. A pioneer in open digital media, he previously co-founded PRX (Public Radio Exchange) and RadioPublic, shaping open distribution standards, technology, and listener discovery for the podcasting industry. Connect with Jake on LinkedIn: / jakeshapiro Learn more about Apple Podcasts for Creators: podcasters.apple.com Episode Chapters 00:00 – Bringing video podcasts to the big screen with tvOS 01:27 – Introduction to Jake Shapiro 01:58 – Where is the money in podcasting? 04:55 – Understanding HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) video 08:06 – Dynamic ad insertion (DAI) and visual companion ads in HLS 10:16 – Technical breakdown: Adaptive streaming and bitrates 12:30 – Preserving RSS as the foundation of open podcasting 13:06 – How video advertising and host reads work in HLS 15:42 – Integrating video podcast content into social and omnichannel strategy 17:23 – Dynamic ad network ecosystem fees and open platform access 20:33 – iOS 27 updates: Mac OS video, transcripts, and living room distribution 22:38 – Search within show: Finding topics, guests, and quotes in archives 24:18 – How editorial curation and personalization drive listener discovery 29:48 – What Jake is excited about: Mixed-mode consumption and industry convergence 31:09 – Six-month data: Big lifts in plays, audience growth, and net new followers 33:25 – Video as an additive channel for new audience discovery 35:00 – Accessibility and automatically generated transcripts 36:28 – What Jake is watching and listening to right now Some Additional PodBiz Buzz… “Where creators have cultivated a community, that's really where the attention is focused... and the money follows that by and large.” “HLS really is a game changer in a lot of ways... a foundation for what we believe will be podcasting's growth in the next era.” “Video isn't reducing what we're doing; it's only adding.” - Listen on your favorite podcast listening app! 🎧 https://shows.acast.com/podbiz Follow us on LinkedIn! 🎧   / podbizpodcast   Subscribe to our newsletter! 🎧 https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/s... Comment, share, or repost your episode from our YouTube channel: 🎧    / @podbizpodcast   🎧 A thank you to our sponsors: Lean and Loaf Your one stop shop for podcast video and audio post production. www.leanandloaf.com PodSEO A specialized competitive intelligence and growth platform designed to optimize podcasts for search engines, listening apps, and AI assistants. www.podSEO.com 🎧 A thank you to our media partners: Podnews Daily news for the podcast and on-demand audio industry www.podnews.net Headliner / Disco Disco converts your readers into podcast listeners. Quickly create, clip, and caption podcast videos with ease. Turn 1 full-length video into 10 optimized, accessible podcast clips. www.headliner.app