Red Seat Ventures (RSV), the Fox Corporation creator-led media company, announced that its Speakeasy platform now supports HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) video on Apple Podcasts. Jubilee Media’s “Surrounded,” the weekly debate series hosted by John Regalado, is the first show to launch HLS video through the platform, with additional RSV shows expected to follow in the coming months.

HLS supports adaptive streaming for smoother playback, video downloads for offline viewing, and dynamic monetization on Apple Podcasts, including real-time video ad insertion such as host-read spots. Creators do not need to change their existing publishing workflow to use the capability, and RSV joins a growing group of hosting providers supporting HLS video on Apple Podcasts. Apple does not charge hosting providers or creators to distribute podcasts on the platform, whether through traditional RSS/MP3 or HLS video.

“As audiences increasingly consume podcasts across both audio and video, creators need technology that lets them publish everywhere while maintaining ownership of their content, audience and monetization,” said Chris Balfe, CEO of Red Seat Ventures. “Speakeasy gives creator-led formats like ‘Surrounded’ full control of their distribution strategy, so their audience and monetization grow together as one business, instead of being scattered across platforms.”

“Surrounded” places one guest at the center of 25 people with differing perspectives for direct debate and dialogue on cultural topics. Regalado said its format was built to be watched as much as heard. “Half of what makes ‘Surrounded’ work is watching the reactions in the room, the looks, the tension, the moment someone changes their mind,” he said. “Getting that onto Apple Podcasts, in a way where you can watch it or just listen on your commute and pick right back up later, is a huge win for the show and for our audience.”

Speakeasy launched in April as a Fox-built platform combining hosting, distribution and monetization tools, running on Fox’s enterprise technology stack and integrated with Supercast, the subscription platform RSV acquired the same year. Balfe described the platform at launch as built for creators and enterprises whose distribution and monetization needs differ from those of traditional podcasters. The Apple Podcasts video integration extends that model into video, pairing it with the AI-powered analytics and content tools already built into Speakeasy.

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