After some delay, Apple Podcasts Subscriptions and channels launched on Tuesday. It is available in 170 countries and regions and means content creators can now charge directly for their work via the Podcasts app.
Apple Podcasts Subscriptions and Channels Finally Launch
The rollout had originally been scheduled to take place by the end of May. Commenting, Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats, said:
“Listeners can’t get enough of their favorite podcasts and want a simple way to support the extraordinary creators who make them possible. Now, listeners can enjoy new content and additional benefits for thousands of new and popular podcasts, alongside millions of free shows, with more arriving every week. Apple Podcasts Subscriptions will help creators grow their businesses and continue to make podcasting an important source of information, entertainment, connection, and inspiration for hundreds of millions of listeners around the world.
Amongst the shows available for subscriptions are Luminary’s The Midnight Miracle with Talib Kweli, Yasiin Bey, and Dave Chappelle, and Pushkin Industries’ Revisionist History with Malcolm Gladwell. There are also the next chapters of QCODE’s apocalyptic thriller “Blackout,” starring Rami Malek and Aja Naomi King, and Realm’s “Orphan Black,” featuring Tatiana Maslany. Furthermore, major media outlets are making their premium content available this way. This includes CNN’s “The Handoff,” and Politico’s “Playbook: Deep Dive”. Channels allow outlets to group multiple show together.