Podcast Pulse

Steve Jobs demoed video podcasting back in 2005

Justin Jackson — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:07:07 -0700

I keep seeing people say: "A podcast was always meant to be audio only." That's not true!

In October 2005, Steve Jobs demoed video podcasts on stage at an Apple keynote. He showed them as a native media type on the new iMac and the new iPod Video. He even name-dropped Tiki Bar TV, a video podcast made in an apartment in Vancouver. This was just 4 months after Apple had introduced the "podcasts."

Video podcasts were browsable side by side with audio in iTunes. Shows like Tiki Bar TV, Rocketboom, and Diggnation built massive audiences years before YouTube became the default home for video.

The belief that "podcasts = audio only" is mostly an artifact of Apple neglecting video in its Podcasts app from roughly 2012 to 2025. Now, in 2026 Apple is bringing video back to Apple Podcasts in iOS 26.4.

Click here to watch a video of this episode.

CHAPTERS:

0:00 — "Video podcasts are amazing" — Steve Jobs, 2005
0:09 — The myth: "A podcast was never meant to be watched"
0:32 — Steve Jobs demos video podcasts on the iMac and iPod
1:18 — Video podcasts were in iTunes from the start
1:37 — Tiki Bar TV, Rocketboom, Diggnation
2:05 — Why people forgot: Apple's 13-year neglect
2:22 — Apple brings video back with HLS in iOS 26.4
2:39 — How I discovered podcasting through video
3:05 — What video podcasting was always about
3:47 — "Podcasts, both spoken word and video"

Links:

How will HLS video works in RSS feeds? (alternateEnclosure tag)

Justin Jackson — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:42:45 -0700

There was a great thread from John Spurlock on the Podcast Index server on Mastodon. He listed all podcast hosts that support the new HLS video standard in Apple Podcasts.

Transistor.fm is on the list (we have two shows on Apple Podcasts using HLS), but Kevin Finn and Dave Jones were wondering why we hadn't put HLS into the tag in those feeds.

Initially, the HLS manifest wasn't in the alternateEnclosure tag (it's still a manual process for us to build these currently). But our intention going forward is that if you're hosting an HLS video on Transistor, we'll automatically add those HLS manifest URLs into the tag in your RSS feed.

I just enabled HLS video in the alternateEnclosure tag for the most recent episodes of Stephen Robles' shows first (Primary Technology and Movies on the Side).

I just tested it on Fountain.fm, and it works great. 👍

Timestamps

0:00 — John Spurlock's Podcast Index thread on Mastodon
0:20 — Kevin Finn's question about the alternate enclosure tag
0:34 — What we did with Stephen Robles' shows
0:47 — Transistor's full video distribution plan (YouTube, Spotify, Apple, HLS)
1:10 — Live demo: HLS manifest in the alternate enclosure tag, playing in Fountain

Relevant links

This is where podcasting is headed

Justin Jackson — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 15:36:03 -0700

I'm still hearing too many folks in the podcast industry say: "Nobody is watching these video podcasts," or "video podcasts are too expensive to create."

But the reality I'm seeing is:

Many podcasters are already recording video (on Zoom, Riverside, and Squadcast).
It's natural for them to want to upload the video to YouTube (and attract an audience there), AND keep distributing audio to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Overcast, etc.

I think this is the new normal.

Peter Mansbridge is proof. His show "The Bridge" is pulling in 150,000 YouTube views per episode. Bad lighting. Cheap cameras. Three people on a Zoom call. No production crew, no editor, no studio.

And... he's not sacrificing his audio audience either: 1,600+ reviews on Apple Podcasts, 673+ on Spotify.

He records once, uploads the same video/audio recording to every platform, and reaches his audience "wherever they get their podcasts."

The podcast industry keeps debating whether video is "real podcasting" or too expensive to produce. Meanwhile, creators are just recording their Zoom calls, uploading to YouTube, and audiences are showing up.

On LinkedIn, Paul Riismandel commented:

"The thing I've observed – and it's totally just human nature – is that it's challenging to understand the audience's new consumption behaviors and preferences when it doesn't match one's own. But the podcast audience is broader, more diverse, and younger than a decade ago. I received so much pushback three years ago when we first observed YouTube becoming the most preferred podcast platform. Today we're seeing that the smart TV is on the verge of being the 2nd most used device for podcasts in North America and elsewhere. Yet, I get presented with a lot of skepticism when I share that view with folks in the industry, despite having three separate studies all point in that direction. The primary objection I hear is that someone just can't wrap their head around watching podcasts in TV because they don't do it (and likely don't know someone who does)."

At Transistor, we'll be moving to this model: creators will upload their video file, and we handle the rest (syndicate to YouTube, encode to HLS for Apple Podcasts, distribute via RSS to Pocket Casts, Overcast, and every open podcast app).

Creators and audiences want to consume podcast-like content on YouTube (still unclear if they want video content on Spotify/Apple). Much of that is due to YouTube's algorithm and distribution muscle. Regardless, that's the reality on the field right now.

Links:

The Bridge podcast on YouTube
Transistor – the best podcast hosting and distribution platform

Welcome – thoughts on the podcast industry and ecosystem

Justin Jackson — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 15:02:39 -0700

Welcome to Podcast Pulse — a show from Justin Jackson, co-founder of Transistor.fm, dedicated to honest, unfiltered thinking about the podcast industry.

Where is podcasting headed? What's the future of RSS, audio, and video podcasting? Justin wanted a place to process these questions out loud, and this is it.

Whether you work in the podcast industry, create your own show, or just love listening, you'll find something here worth chewing on. Expect candid reflections on trends, technology, and what's really happening in the podcast space right now.

Available as both audio and video on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever video podcasts are supported.

Subscribe to follow along.