The new podcast namespace

<rss version="2.0" xmlns:podcast="https://podcastindex.org/namespace/1.0">

Since the first podcast in 2003, podcasting has been evolving.

The open podcast ecosystem is powered by RSS feeds. RSS can be extended with a “namespace”, a set of new tags that enable new features. Apple added their own iTunes podcast namespace in 2005, which allowed podcasters to specify things like podcast artwork, categories and other elements. Other namespaces have also been proposed; but in 2020, a new, collaborative, podcast namespace was first worked on by a wide number of interested people, aided and encouraged by Adam Curry and Dave Jones from The Podcast Index.

The new podcast namespace is a set of new tags that are 100% backwards compatible with existing podcast feeds. Like the Apple iTunes podcast namespace, the new podcast namespace adds additional features, like transcripts, locations, alternate audio files, and many more benefits for everyone involved in the open podcast ecosystem. You can spot these tags by looking for those that start podcast: in the RSS feed.

Individual tags from the new podcast namespace are now supported by a growing number of podcast hosting companies and podcast apps.

All the base tags

From the specification document:

podcast:alternateEnclosure - different bitrates, video versions, etc
podcast:block - creator requests not to be included in a directory
podcast:chapters - independently editable chapters
podcast:episode - episode numbers and names
podcast:funding - links to donate or fund a show
podcast:guid - a unique, global identifier for a podcast
podcast:images - multiple image resources for podcasts
podcast:license - define the license applied to a podcast
podcast:liveItem - deliver live shows to apps
podcast:location - “where is this podcast about?”
podcast:locked - require permission to import a feed
podcast:medium - a description of the type of content in a feed
podcast:person - credits for hosts and guests
podcast:season - named seasons/series
podcast:socialInteract - comments for podcast episodes
podcast:soundbite - suggested clips
podcast:trailer - specify a trailer (per season)
podcast:transcript - captions and transcripts for podcasts
podcast:value - a payment layer for podcasts

This website

This website will be a place to give full examples of how to use the new podcast namespace tags. It is editable by the community; and you will also be able to use this to ask questions about implementation.

Examples

podcast:funding, a way to link to donation payment links for your podcast
podcast:guid, unique, global identifier for a podcast
podcast:person, credits for hosts, guests and others
podcast:transcript, closed-captions and transcripts for podcasts
podcast:value - a payment layer for podcasts

It’s edited by James Cridland, the Editor of Podnews; but anyone can submit their edits to make this resource better, using the Github link in the bottom left. Alternatively, please contact James at james@crid.land