Blubrry Sends One Video Feed to Apple—but Subscriptions Stay Audio-Only

Blubrry released integrated Apple Podcasts video publishing for Blubrry Publisher customers on September 2, 2026. One MP4 upload can now supply HLS video for Apple Podcasts, the original video and MP3 audio through a single RSS feed; Podnews’ September 2 report independently recorded the release of HLS support and the use of alternate enclosures.

The workflow is available to Blubrry hosting customers using Publisher, but not to shows published through the PowerPress WordPress plugin at launch. It also leaves a consequential Apple restriction untouched: video can accompany a public episode, while Apple Podcasts Subscriptions continue to accept audio only.

One MP4 becomes three media resources

The creator starts with a completed MP4 episode and uploads it through the existing Blubrry Publisher workflow. Blubrry’s launch announcement details the resulting 1080p Full HD HLS presentation for Apple Podcasts, retention of the original uploaded video and generation of an MP3 for audio-focused podcast apps, all within the same RSS feed.

1. Upload the finished MP4 episode in Blubrry Publisher.
2. Publisher prepares the adaptive HLS presentation for Apple Podcasts.
3. The original uploaded video remains available in the feed.
4. Publisher derives an MP3 for apps focused on audio playback.

The outputs are alternative resources for one episode, not separately managed editions. HLS divides the video into segments and prepares multiple quality levels so playback can adapt as connection conditions change. The conversion requires processing time, so completing the upload does not mean the episode is immediately ready to watch on Apple Podcasts.

This automation has a defined boundary. Blubrry handles the media conversion and associates the outputs with the episode, but the creator still controls the title, description and other podcast metadata through the normal Publisher and RSS workflow.

The same feed can serve different app capabilities

Apple Podcasts uses the HLS presentation. Another podcast app can select the HLS resource, the original video or the MP3 enclosure according to the formats it supports, which allows the same episode feed to serve both video-capable and audio-focused destinations.

That does not make playback identical in every app. A service that understands the available video resource may present the episode as video, while an audio-only client can use the MP3. The single-feed design removes the need to maintain parallel audio and video episodes, but each receiving app still determines which enclosed format it can process.

Within Apple Podcasts, an HLS episode appears on the show’s integrated page and listeners can move between video and audio-only playback. The episode remains the same feed item, so switching modes does not require finding a separate version of the show.

Apple authorization remains a separate setup step

Media conversion does not itself authorize delivery to Apple. Apple’s video-publishing instructions require a supporting host and an Apple Podcasts Connect account; where video delivery is enabled for the show, the creator generates an API key that lets the host publish shows and episodes on the account’s behalf. The same instructions state that the host does not receive access to listening analytics, subscription reports, or banking and tax information, and that Apple Podcasts Subscriptions support audio only.

The creator first selects the show in Apple Podcasts Connect and checks Settings for video-delivery availability. The API key is then generated under Account and Keys, downloaded and supplied through the hosting provider’s setup process before HLS publishing can begin.

The key file can be downloaded only once and should retain its original filename, which contains the Issuer ID and Key ID required by the host. A creator who has already shared a subscription API key with the same hosting provider does not need to repeat Apple’s key-sharing process, although the provider may have additional steps for enabling video. Separate hosting providers require separate API keys.

Paid Apple episodes remain audio-only

The new path expands public video distribution; it does not create subscriber-only video within Apple Podcasts. A public Blubrry episode can offer watching and listening through Apple’s integrated HLS experience, but an episode delivered as a benefit through Apple Podcasts Subscriptions must remain audio-only.

The API key cannot change that product boundary. Its role is to authenticate the hosting provider and permit delivery to Apple, not to expand the media formats accepted for paid benefits. Creators offering early access, bonus content or ad-free episodes through Apple’s native subscription system therefore still need an audio version for those benefits.

The launch boundary is similarly specific on Blubrry’s side: the automated MP4-to-HLS route applies to hosting customers publishing with Blubrry Publisher, while PowerPress-published shows remain outside this release. The current result is one streamlined public-video workflow, not a unified route for every Blubrry publishing method or for paid Apple video.

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