Spotify opens Sycamore podcast studios

Spotify opened its Sycamore podcast studios in Los Angeles earlier in 2026 as a home base for The Ringer and a production center for video podcasts, the Los Angeles Times reported on May 16. The facility is part of Spotify’s broader push to make video a larger part of its podcast business, according to the Times. Two days earlier, Spotify said its hosting platforms would support Apple Podcasts’ HLS video technology later this year, allowing creators to distribute video shows across both services without changing their setup. Apple introduced that HLS-based video podcast system in February and rolled it out with a software update in March. ### Where does Sycamore fit inside Spotify’s podcast business? The Los Angeles Times said Sycamore serves as a base for The Ringer, the podcast network Spotify bought in 2020. The paper reported that creators and executives said the new studio was helping improve production quality and making collaboration easier across The Ringer’s shows. Los Angeles is already central to Spotify’s creator operations. (latimes.com) Spotify said in November 2024 that it held its “Now Playing” event on its Los Angeles campus and showed creators its video and audio production facilities there. ### Why is Spotify tying the studio opening to video? (latimes.com) Video has become a bigger part of Spotify’s podcast pitch over the past two years. Spotify said in June 2024 that it had more than 250,000 video podcasts on the platform and that creators were using video to reach audiences and deepen engagement. (newsroom.spotify.com) In November 2024, Spotify announced uninterrupted video podcasts for Premium subscribers, audience-driven payments and a new Spotify for Creators platform. Chief Executive Daniel Ek said at the time that podcast fans wanted the flexibility to watch or listen depending on what they were doing. (newsroom.spotify.com) ### What changed with Apple’s video podcast technology? Apple said on February 16, 2026, that Apple Podcasts would add a new HLS-enabled video experience in the spring. The company said the system would let users switch between watching and listening, use full-screen horizontal viewing and download videos for offline playback. (newsroom.spotify.com) March 24, 2026, was the public launch date for that experience through iOS 26.4, according to Podnews, which tracks the podcast industry. Podnews reported that Apple’s approach kept hosting with podcast companies rather than moving distribution fully inside Apple’s own infrastructure. ### What did Spotify say it will do with HLS? Spotify said on May 14 that Spotify for Creators and Megaphone would support Apple Podcasts’ HLS video technology starting this year. (apple.com) TechCrunch and other outlets reported that the change would let Spotify-hosted creators distribute and monetize video podcasts on Apple Podcasts without overhauling existing workflows. (podnews.net) Spotify said it was working on the integration with Apple and would share more details on timing later, according to reports citing the company’s announcement. That leaves the rollout date open, but the direction is clear: creators using Spotify’s hosting tools are being offered wider distribution beyond Spotify’s own app. (techcrunch.com) ### What does this mean for The Ringer shows made at Sycamore? The Los Angeles Times reported that Sycamore supports cross-platform video workflows for The Ringer network. That matters because The Ringer’s sports and culture shows are among Spotify’s best-known podcast properties, and a studio built around video production can feed both Spotify’s own service and outside platforms that support the same format. (techcrunch.com) A separate Spotify announcement in October 2025 said select Spotify Studios and The Ringer video podcasts would also appear on Netflix starting in early 2026 in the United States. That shows Spotify has already been looking for wider distribution for video podcast programming tied to The Ringer and Spotify Studios. (latimes.com) ### What comes next? Later in 2026, Spotify plans to add HLS support for creators using Spotify for Creators and Megaphone, according to reports on the May 14 announcement. Apple’s HLS video system is already live in Apple Podcasts, and Sycamore is now operating in Los Angeles as Spotify expands video production for The Ringer network. (techcrunch.com) (newsroom.spotify.com)