Supporting Cast launches subscriber-only video on Spotify

Supporting Cast is the first podcast subscription platform to deliver subscriber-only video directly inside Spotify, as more creators look to build subscription businesses around their content.

The company said it is using Spotify's Distribution API and Open Access infrastructure to allow paying subscribers to watch exclusive video episodes within the Spotify app, removing the need for listeners to use a separate platform.

The launch expands Supporting Cast's existing partnership with Spotify. Since 2021, the platform has enabled publishers to offer subscriber-only audio through Spotify. The new rollout extends those capabilities, allowing creators to offer both premium audio and video content through a single subscription.

Football podcast Libero and history show Legacy, hosted by historian Peter Frankopan and journalist Afua Hirsch, are the first to use the feature. Goalhanger, Jim Harold's Campfire and Betches Media are expected to follow later this quarter.

David Stern, chief executive of Supporting Cast, said the move reflects growing investment in video across podcasting.

"Our partners initially focused their subscription programmes on gated audio," Stern said. "Now that they're investing in video, we expect their exclusive content will follow a similar trajectory."