Supporting Cast, a podcast subscription platform, has announced that it has become the first subscription hosting platform to deliver gated, subscriber-only video episodes on Spotify using the company’s Distribution API.

Subscribers who connect their Spotify account to a publisher’s Supporting Cast-powered account can watch exclusive video episodes natively inside the Spotify app. The integration extends Supporting Cast’s existing Spotify Open Access partnership, which the company launched in 2021 to deliver gated audio episodes to paying subscribers within the app.

Launch Partners

Two independent podcasts are first to use the feature: 

• “Libero,” a soccer podcast launched in 2025 by writers from The Athletic, The New York Times, and The Independent. 
• “Legacy,” hosted by historian Peter Frankopan and journalist Afua Hirsch. 

Goalhanger, Jim Harold’s Campfire, Filmspotting, and Betches Media are scheduled to follow later in Q2 2026.

“Our partners initially built subscription programs focused on gated audio to monetize their podcast audiences,” said David Stern, CEO of Supporting Cast. “Now that they’re investing in video, we expect this medium will follow a similar trajectory.”

Closing a Distribution Gap

Spotify announced its Distribution API in January 2026, with five hosting partners at launch, all serving the open, ad-supported video market. Supporting Cast’s integration marks the first use of the API for subscriber-gated video.

Prior to the integration, publishers had limited options for delivering premium video to Spotify subscribers. Spotify for Creators technically allowed gated video uploads by replacing a previously published audio episode, but the manual process was impractical at scale. Publishers were otherwise required to maintain separate paid YouTube channels or members-only websites.

The new workflow requires no additional steps for publishers. Video uploaded through the Supporting Cast admin is delivered automatically to Spotify as video, while episodes without video continue to deliver as audio. Analytics for video content appear alongside audio metrics inside the Spotify for Creators dashboard.

“With so much of our audience consuming content on Spotify, Supporting Cast’s new integration means that subscribers won’t have to leave the app to listen to the shows they love,” said Jim Harold, creator and host of “The Paranormal Podcast.”

Supporting Cast’s client roster includes NPR, SiriusXM, NBC, CBS, Lemonada Media, Goalhanger, Slate, and Vox Media.

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