Acast launches first video ad campaigns on Apple Podcasts

Acast has become the first company to launch video advertising campaigns on Apple Podcasts, as the industry's shift from audio-only shows towards filmed content continues to accelerate.

The platform said that companies including insurance provider State Farm and T-Mobile are among the first advertisers using the format, which allows ads to appear in both audio and video form on Apple Podcasts.

A total of 117 Acast shows are now publishing video episodes on the platform, with more than 1,000 episodes already live across markets including the US, UK, France, Canada and Australia.

Simon Franklin, Senior Director of Marketing at Acast, said the launch marks a turning point in how podcast video is being monetised.

"There's been a lot of chat around video in podcasting over the last couple of years," he wrote on LinkedIn. "What's interesting now is seeing it become a genuine commercial opportunity for both creators and brands."

The move reflects a wider scramble across the creator economy to capitalise on growing demand for video podcasts, as platforms race to attract audiences and advertising spend.

Earlier this year, Diary of a CEO co-founder Jack Sylvester told The Daily Influence that Apple's expansion into video podcasts should serve as a "wake-up call" for creators still relying solely on audio.

"The argument that creators can't move into video because of budget doesn't really have legs," Sylvester said at the time. "If you're able to listen to a podcast, you're able to film a podcast with the same device – a phone."

The growth of filmed podcasts has also accelerated so-called "clipping culture", where short segments from interviews are cut into social-ready clips for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts to drive discovery and engagement.

That shift is increasingly shaping platform strategy. Last month, Beehiiv told The Daily Influence that video podcasting was one of the platform's biggest customer requests following its move into audio hosting. It deepened that push further this week by hiring former Paramount Global executive Ainsley Rossitto as head of podcasts.

Meanwhile, Dhar Mann Studios this week announced the launch of a new interview podcast series, as more creator-led businesses expand into long-form media formats.