Update | Apple Podcasts Subscriptions: a new marketplace for creators available from May 2021

Update: Some current or aspiring podcasters out there might have noticed that Podcasts Subscriptions has failed to launch by now, as advertised previously. Apple has released a statement indicating that this event has been delayed, and is now projected to take place some time this month (June 2021) instead.

Apple has made TV shows first-party and subscription-based; now, it is doing the same with podcasts. Its app for this kind of content will start to offer new, premium streams alongside its existing portfolio of ~2 million free titles soon.

The Cupertino giant is not yet able to reveal the exact fees involved in this new service as yet: they are set by the individual partners or creators in question. Apple has, however, confirmed that groups such as Sony Music Entertainment, the LA Times and NPR have already signed up to offer Podcasts Subscriptions.

Furthermore, creators and studios ranging from QCODE to Tenderfoot TV will also offer paid series through the new service. Aspiring or established show-makers who also want to get on this new pay-to-hear platform will need to sign up for Apple's new Podcasters Program, which costs US$19.99 per year.

Apple has announced that the Podcasts app's new update will be live from May 2021 and will be rolled out across 170 markets worldwide.

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