Image credit: Austin Distel

After a delay Apple Podcasts subscription will be going live on June 15th, meaning you can listen to your favourite podcasts ad-free.

Apple Podcasts Subscription is now penned for release June 15th, however, it was supposed to launch in May. This means that from the 15th you can subscribe to your favourite podcasts to support them directly and listen ad-free. The cost will be dependent on the creators. 

Apple stated that it pushed back the launch of Podcast Subscriptions “to ensure we are delivering the best experience for creators and listeners.” It’s likely this delay was due to the unpopular changes made to the Podcast app, which messed with third-party apps surfacing podcast feeds. 

Apple will take 30% of the creator-led subscriptions in the first year, and 15% in the second, however, this may change due to competition. The subscription isn’t a blanket subscription and the user will able to subscribe and support individual content creators. Subscriptions are billed monthly by default, though creators can offer annual billing if they so choose. Listeners will be able to subscribe to independent creators, studios, and other media brands. 

The idea is to create a service that allows listeners to support their favourite creators directly whilst also getting access to unique and exclusive content. It’s an exciting change that should push the podcast realm into a fairer, more sustainable realm.