Friday evening, I was working late on our HLS video podcast proposal, creating a demo RSS feed, and setting up a public GitHub repository. I emailed the update to the Podcast Standards mailing list.

Within an hour, Oscar Merry from Fountain replied:

“Great timing! We’ve just released a new version of Fountain into beta today that supports HLS Video via alternate enclosure.”

I downloaded the Fountain beta on iOS, loaded up my demo feed, and witnessed the exact user experience I’d been dreaming of for video podcasting.

Fountain: HLS video streaming

Fountain’s beta implementation is everything we hoped for in our proposal. It delivers an audio-first experience that seamlessly integrates video without disrupting the core podcast workflow.

• Audio-First Design: Fountain’s user interface is designed to be audio-first. But the video option is available when you want it.
• Seamless Video Switching: A simple toggle lets listeners switch between audio and video modes instantly. The playback position stays synchronized – no interruption, no restart.
• Real-World Flexibility: You can start listening while walking, switch to video when something visual is referenced, then back to audio – exactly how people actually consume content.
• Big Screen Ready: Once we have support for connected TVs and AirPlay, consumers will be able to switch from audio listening to viewing the episode from their couch.

Why This Matters for the Podcast Ecosystem

We believe that using HLS for video and audio streaming will help keep podcasting open.

Currently, video podcasting forces creators into an either/or choice. Traditional video podcast feeds require massive file downloads and separate RSS feeds. Platforms like YouTube and Spotify offer video but lock creators into proprietary ecosystems.

The HLS Solution:

HLS streaming through the podcast:alternateEnclosure tag gives creators the best of both worlds – open RSS distribution with adaptive video streaming that works across devices and connection speeds.

The implementation uses a simple RSS structure that any podcast hosting platform could adopt:

<enclosure url="audio.mp3" length="27892766" type="audio/mpeg"/>
<podcast:alternateEnclosure type="application/x-mpegURL" 
                           length="0" 
                           bitrate="2500000" 
                           height="1080" 
                           lang="en" 
                           title="HD Video Stream" 
                           rel="alternate">
    <podcast:source uri="manifest.m3u8"/>
</podcast:alternateEnclosure>

This simple XML addition transforms any podcast feed into a dual-format experience. Listeners can choose to consume audio or video.

What makes this powerful:

• Backward Compatibility: Existing podcast apps continue working with the audio enclosure
• Adaptive Streaming: HLS automatically adjusts quality based on connection speed
• No File Downloads: Video streams in small chunks instead of requiring multi-gigabyte downloads
• Single Feed: One RSS feed serves both audio and video consumers

Kudos to TrueFans for their HLS implementation

It’s worth noting that TrueFans has supported HLS video podcasting since last year. TrueFans has HLS audio/video working in production on iOS, Desktop, FireTV, and in their Google App beta.

Collaboration is what drives open podcasting forward

The strength of the PSP lies in the cooperation and coordination between members. After discussing it in London, Oscar and the Fountain team implemented the HLS video streaming spec, proving that open standards can move fast and innovate.

This is how the podcast ecosystem should work: creators, hosting platforms, app developers, and standards organizations collaborating to push the medium forward while keeping it open and decentralized.

What’s Next: The Call for Universal Adoption

Fountain and TrueFans have shown this works beautifully. Now we need every podcast app to implement HLS video support.

Apple Podcasts: please support HLS

Apple is celebrating 20 years of podcasting. They were the first podcast app to offer video, but deprecated the feature in 2017.

Apple also invented HLS technology. It’s time for them to bring video back to Apple Podcasts and support HLS in the alternate enclosure.

This is a natural fit for Apple! The Apple TV platform, which includes both the Apple TV set-top box and the app on smart TVs, is estimated to have 75 million users worldwide.

With HLS streaming, Apple could establish video podcasts as a cornerstone of the Apple TV experience.

Apple also has a successful creator monetization program, with podcast subscriptions. Video podcasts make for great premium podcasts!

Which apps already support HLS?

These apps support HLS video streaming in the alternateEnclosure:

• TrueFans – demo show
• Fountain Beta – demo show

These apps support HLS video streaming and will be adding support for the alternateEnclosure shortly:

• Podcast Guru
• Pocket Casts

Which hosting providers are working on HLS support?

• Disctopia
• Podtoo
• Transistor

Having apps and hosting providers that support this protocol will generate more usage by creators.

Try It Yourself

• Add this video-enabled RSS feed to a podcast player: podcast-standards-project.github.io/hls-video/feed.xml
• Github Repo: github.com/Podcast-Standards-Project/hls-video

The Future is Streaming (and Open)

We can have adaptive video streaming, seamless user experiences, and creator control – all within the RSS ecosystem.

We’re moving on from the old paradigm of separate video feeds and massive file downloads. HLS streaming in an alternate enclosure is the future of video podcasting:

Now let’s make it universal. Every podcast app, every hosting platform, every creator should have access to this technology.

Want to contribute to the HLS video podcast specification? Join the discussion on GitHub or learn more about the Podcast Standards Project.