Apple has announced its new Apple Podcasts Subscriptions service, allowing creators to subscribe to premium podcast experiences and reward them for their time and creations.
The company introduced the new feature at its Spring Loaded event and confirmed that from next month, users in 170 countries will be able to sign up to individual premium subscriptions which will offer access to additional content, as well as ad-free listening, exclusive access to new content, and early premiers of future episodes.
The idea behind the new service is to differentiate from Spotify, which has instead taken itself down the premium podcasts route by offering exclusive content on its platform. With Apple’s plan, it can allow creators to monetise their content and develop stronger relationships with their listeners.
Speaking of the new service, Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, said: “Fifteen years ago, Apple took podcasts mainstream, offering creators a premier, open platform to inform, entertain, and inspire hundreds of millions of listeners around the world.”
“Today, Apple Podcasts is the best place for listeners to discover and enjoy millions of great shows, and we are proud to lead the next chapter of podcasting with Apple Podcasts Subscriptions. We’re excited to introduce this powerful new platform to creators around the world, and we can’t wait to hear what they make with it.”
Alongside the new Podcast experience, Apple has announced it has overhauled the Apple Podcasts app as part of iOS 14.5, introducing channels, which are groups of shows curated by creators with unique titles, descriptions, and artwork, and there’ll be an enhanced search tab, as well as a Smart Play button helps listeners automatically start episodic shows from the latest episode.
Are you looking forward to these changes? Let us know and check back soon for more Apple news.
