After a short delay, Apple has launched Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, the global marketplace for premium podcast subscriptions, announced earlier this year.
Starting today, listeners in more than 170 countries and regions can purchase subscriptions for individual shows and groups of shows through channels, making it easier to support the creators, listen to new content, and unlock additional benefits such as ad-free listening and early access, directly via Apple Podcasts.
Many media companies have signed up to the platform. In Australia, companies on board at launch are LiSTNR, ABC and SBS.
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.
This month, listeners can also find subscriptions from Bloomberg Media, Los Angeles Times, Politico, and Vox Media, plus channels from other leading newspapers, magazines, broadcasters, radio stations, and digital publishers, including ABC News, Axios, Billboard, Bravo, CNBC, CNN, Crooked Media, Dateline, Entertainment Weekly, Futuro Media, The Hollywood Reporter, LAist Studios, National Geographic, MSNBC, NBC News, NBC Sports, New York Magazine, The New York Times, SiriusXM, SB Nation, Southern Living, The Verge, TODAY, VICE, Vogue, Vox, and WBUR.
Apple listed other international subscriptions and channels available beginning today include Abrace Podcasts from Brazil; CANADALAND and Frequency Podcast Network from Canada; GoLittle from Denmark; Europe 1, Louie Media, and Radio France from France; Der Spiegel, Podimo, and ZEIT ONLINE from Germany; Il Sole 24 Ore and Storielibere.fm from Italy; J-WAVE from Japan; Brainrich from Korea; libo/libo from Russia; Finyal Media from the UAE; and Broccoli Productions, The Bugle, Content Is Queen, the Guardian, Immediate Media, and Somethin’ Else from the UK.
Two major US news publishers involved immediately include:
FOX News: Hear from Dana Perino, Bret Baier, Shannon Bream, Trey Gowdy, Martha MacCallum, and other signature voices — all without commercials. Subscribers receive early access to seasonal series from FOX News Investigates, bonus episodes from FOX News Radio’s talk shows, audio versions of FOX News Channel programs, and a variety of long-form interviews.
NPR: Sponsor-free versions of leading NPR shows across news, business, culture, and more, including “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross, “How I Built This with Guy Raz,” “It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders,” “Planet Money” with Jacob Goldstein, Karen Duffin, and Sarah Gonzalez, “Short Wave” with Madeline Sofia, and the Apple Podcasts 2020 Show of the Year, “Code Switch,” with Shereen Marisol Meraji and Gene Demby.
See also our weekly Podcast Week columns here.