Apple has announced a premium subscription to support creators on Apple Podcasts. Listeners will be able to buy these subscriptions from independent creators and studios starting in May.
Apple Podcasts Subscriptions will be available in 170 countries and will allow listeners to subscribe to additional or exclusive content from creators, including Tenderfoot TV, Pushkin Industries, Radiotopia from PRX, and QCODE, NPR, the Los Angeles Times, The Athletic, Sony Music Entertainment, and many more.
Moreover, premium subscription also offers ad-free listening experience.
The price of subscriptions will be set by the creators and will be billed monthly by default; however, creators can choose to offer an annual billing option. Sample episodes and free trials may also be available.
The company also announced that iOS 14.5 would also bring a redesigned Apple Podcasts app with an enhanced search tab, top charts, categories and pages for shows. Listeners will also be able to download individual episodes for offline playback.
Over two million free shows will still be available on the app.
“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,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior VP of Internet Software and Services. “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.”
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