27 – What is HLS video and how will it affect my audio podcast?

[00:00:05] Hello there and welcome to PodcasterPlus. The podcast offering tips and tricks to simplify and automate your podcast. Find all the episodes at PodcasterPlus.com/show.

So if you’ve been scanning podcast industry news, or chatting with other creators over the past few months, there’s a technical three letter acronym that keeps popping up. HLS, specifically HLS Video.

Apple Podcast recently rolled out major support for HLS powered video, and Spotify quickly followed suit by adopting the exact same technology across their creator and hosting platforms.

Now, if you host a traditional audio podcast? Just like this one, you might be wondering, what on earth is HLS video? Why are all the major players suddenly talking about it? And do I even need to care?

So the short answer is, no. You don’t need to panic. Your audio podcast isn’t going anywhere. But the way audio podcasts are being distributed is changing in a way that actually protects the open nature of podcasting.

So today I want to unpack three simple things. First, what HLS actually is in plain English. Second, why Apple and Spotify are making such a big deal out of it. And third, what it means for you as an audio podcaster moving forward.

So let me paint a picture for you, and as always, I’m going to divide this episode up into various sections.

And the first section is what is HLS video?

Now, I’ll be honest, technical acronyms in podcasting can make your eyes glaze over, but HLS stands for HTTP Live Streaming. There you go. It’s a streaming protocol originally created by Apple, and you’ve actually been using it for years, every time you watch Netflix, Twitch, or YouTube.

In the early days of video podcasting, if a creator wanted to put video into a podcast feed, they had to attach one massive video file, sometimes two or three gigabytes, directly to their RSS feed. The listener’s app had to download that entire file before playing, or suffer through constant buffering on mobile data. It was heavy, clunky, and expensive.

HLS solves this completely. Instead of serving one giant video file, HLS breaks video, and audio, down into tiny bite sized chunks, usually just a few seconds long. It creates what is called an adaptive stream. If your listener is sitting on fast home wifi, their phone streams high definition video. If they step out of the door into spotty mobile signal coverage, HLS instantly drops the video resolution, or switches smoothly to audio only playback, without interrupting the show. That smooth, seamless transition is the real secret source here.

So the next section, why Apple and Spotify are pushing HLS.

So why is this happening now? For years video podcasting felt fragmented. YouTube was the primary home for video. Spotify had its own proprietary video upload tool, and traditional RSS feeds remained almost strictly audio. With Apple, bringing HLS video support to Apple Podcasts, and Spotify integrating HLS across Spotify for Creators and Megaphone, both giants are aligning around a single industry standard.

So what does that mean for your audience? Well, it means flexibility. Someone can start listening to your episode in their car on audio, walk into their living room, open their app, and switch straight to video on the TV screen, at the exact same second. No restarting, no lost playback position. That’s pretty cool.

And some podcast hosting platforms are using HLS to deliver video straight through open RSS feeds. That means creators don’t have to upload separate video files to multiple walled gardens.

Okay, the next section, what this means for your audio podcast.

So that’s what HLS is, and why the platforms are embracing it. But what does this mean for you if you produce a pure audio podcast?

Well, the first thing to remember is audio only podcasts are not dying. Standard audio RSS feeds will remain the primary backbone of audio listening everywhere. You don’t need to buy expensive camera gear, hire a video editor, or start figuring out studio lighting if that doesn’t suit your workflow.

The second thing is about future proofing. If you do ever decide to experiment with video, even just the occasional video episodes, HLS means your production workflow won’t double in complexity. You only need two separate RSS feeds, or completely different hosting setups. One for audio, one for video.

And third, it’s a win for open podcasting. Anything that allows independent podcast hosts and RSS feeds to compete with locked down platforms is great news for independent creators.

At PodcasterPlus, our core philosophy is about giving you your time back so you can focus on great content, not fighting hurdles. HLS is simply another piece of background technology making delivery smoother behind the scenes.

Okay, let’s wrap it up. If you take one thing away from this episode, let it be this. Don’t feel pressured to completely change your show just because major tech platforms update their streaming specs. HLS video is a fantastic upgrade for video creators, but audio remains as powerful and convenient as ever.

If you want to read more about streamlining your production workflow, and saving time on operations, you can head over to PodcasterPlus.com/show, and look at the previous episodes of this podcast over there. And I will also leave links to the HLS technical updates in the show notes.

So there you go. That’s what I’ve got for you this time around. Thank you very much for tuning into the PodcasterPlus podcast. You can find it at PodcasterPlus.com/show. And we will see you next time for some more tips and tricks. To simplify and automate your podcast.