Podcasts: apple introduces subscriptions

Podcasts: Apple introduces subscriptions

Apple makes its podcasts app for the distribution platform: Since Tuesday, this content is offered as subscriptions over Apple’s in-app buying interface. Because of technical problems, the introduction of the subscription offer actually planned for May had to be postponed for several weeks.

Podcasts can now use a mix of free and paid content to set a Freemium model or put all episodes behind the payment barrier. Subscriptions are offered for individual podcasts as well as for podcast networks, the different shows – Apple calls this "Channels" – as a subscription to market.

Podcasts in the monthly or annual subscription

Podcast subscriptions can be offered in Apple’s app with monthly or quantum billing, usually there is a free trial, which then automatically transforms into a subsequent subscription. The prize can choose the providers – in the levels specified by Apple – so far, most of the already participating podcasts seem to be estimated between 1 and 5 euros per month. Podcast producers are free to continue to market their content externally as a subscription, Apple’s Podcasts app also supports the subscribing to RSS feeds.

As with subscriptions that are completed via Apple’s in-app buying interface in Apps, Apple retains 30 percent commission in the first subscription year, from the second, the share decreases to 15 percent of the estimated subscription price. Apple’s Podcasts subscription service is intended to be available in 170 countries and regions, as the company announced.

With the directory integrated in iTunes (and iPod), Apple already occupied a key role for podcasts, Apple’s iPhones, iPads and Mac’s pre-installed podcasts app is considered one of the most widely used podcast clients, the extension to subscription called Apple as a large innovation For podcasts in years.

New competitive trailer threatens

The market for podcasts has grown significantly in recent years, also the music streaming market fuhrer Spotify urges into this sub-area with audio content and also builds a distribution platform for podcasts. In the Spotify app on iPhones, podcasts are not expected to be canceled, otherwise Spotify had to use as prescribed Apple’s in-app buying interface and thus 30 percent commission to Apple discharge. Even for other providers, such a distribution of audio content of third parties could hardly expect.

Here, the next competitive dispute brides: Spotify sees itself through Apple’s rules in the disadvantage and complained two years ago at the EU Commission. Apple’s specifications relating to in-app buying disadvantages in the music streaming market, was the premium outcome of the Commission’s investigation.

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