Tech

Acast Opens Video Monetization on Apple Podcasts to Every Creator on the Platform

Published on August 6, 2026

Acast is removing the waitlist on video for Apple Podcasts, opening the format and its accompanying monetization marketplace to every creator on the platform, according to a company announcement from Valerie Reimer, SVP of Business Development & Strategic Partnerships.

The rollout follows several months of beta testing with a select group of shows. Acast said podcasts in that beta that added video saw roughly a 25% increase in weekly sessions on Apple Podcasts, counting both listens and views, over their first four months with the format.

Creators who publish video through Acast gain access to the company’s advertiser marketplace, which Acast says includes more than 4,000 advertisers, provided they meet required monetization thresholds. For creators outside Acast’s existing network, video publishing is now available through a new subscription tier called the Video plan, which includes upload and distribution to Apple Podcasts, automatic audio extraction, the option to replace existing audio episodes with video versions, and side-by-side video and audio performance data in Acast’s creator hub.

The expansion builds on infrastructure Acast has already sold to advertisers. In May, State Farm and T-Mobile ran the first integrated video ad campaigns on Apple Podcasts through Acast, combining Acast’s ad technology with Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology to deliver audio and video creative in a single buy. At the time, 117 shows had enabled the HLS video integration across more than 1,000 episodes, concentrated in the U.S., France, the UK, Canada, and Australia. Acast reported that 60% of daily HLS growth came from net-new listeners rather than existing audiences shifting behavior, and that adding video to an audio campaign extended total brand reach by up to 39%.

Acast frames video as an opt-in choice rather than a requirement. Creators can stop publishing video at any time, reverting to standard audio distribution without losing existing episodes. Acast’s research found that nearly four in five global podcast listeners both watch and listen to their favorite shows, with audio remaining the primary channel.