The Apple Podcasts Subscriptions and channels feature has gone live across 170 countries starting today. Listeners across the world can “purchase subscriptions for individual shows and groups of shows through channels, making it easy to support their favourite creators, enjoy new content, and unlock additional benefits such as ad-free listening and early access, directly on Apple Podcasts,” says Apple.
For creators, this opens up new ways to earn from podcasts. The Apple Podcasts Subscriptions will enable creators to activate paid subscriptions for shows and channels. It will also allow for free shows with additional episodes for subscribers. Creators can also include perks like unedited footage, archives, and more.
Apple Podcasts subscriptions and channels go live
“Listeners can discover thousands of subscriptions and channels featuring brand new shows that span many genres and formats, including news, comedy, sports, and true crime, offering listeners premium experiences that help them stay informed, entertained, connected, and inspired,” says Apple in the official release.
Those who purchase a subscription to a show will automatically get all the updates from the show. Additionally, the page will show a Subscriber Edition level to remind them of their purchase. “Listeners can discover channels for their favourite podcasts from each show page and through Search, explore recommendations from the Listen Now and Browse tabs, and share channels using Messages, Mail, and other apps.,” says Apple.
That said, Apple will let content creators decide the prices for their content. All content creators can earn up to 70 percent of the total revenue while Apple keeps the rest as a service fee. Creators will need to be a part of the Apple Podcasters Program, which costs Rs 1,799 per annum in India and $19.99 in the US.
As for listeners, they will need to be on the latest version of iOS, macOS and iPadOS in order to avail the services. Customers can also play the subscription content on their Apple Watch and Apple TV devices. Each Apple Podcasts Subscription can be shared among six family members through Family Sharing.
Do note that the Podcasts Subscriptions is independent of the Apple Music subscription. Apple Music recently got the Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio treatment, a feature that’s rolling out to many countries now.
