'Apple TV+' Podcasts Should Just Be 'Apple Podcasts+'?
Ryan Christoffel
Speaking of both Apple TV+ and podcasts...
The podcast market is increasingly becoming dominated by YouTube and Spotify, but beyond running Apple Podcasts, Apple has also recently started launching its own original podcast series under the Apple TV+ branding. Today, the latest such podcast—Big Time—has debuted as a true-crime series with Steve Buscemi as host.
While this would make sense if it was being produced alongside an Apple TV+ television show or movie, it's not. It's a fully stand-alone "true crime" series, that just happens to be hosted by a Hollywood actor.
So what does that have to do with Apple TV+, you might ask? Good question:
Apple TV+, somewhat confusingly, produces original podcasts in addition to TV shows and movies.
Those podcasts are available to all users via Apple Podcasts or their podcast app of choice, but Apple TV+ subscribers get advance access to future episodes.
So Apple TV+ subscribers get first (but not exclusive) access to such content. It's just a perk of being a subscriber, I guess. Even though, again, Apple Podcasts has nothing to do with Apple TV+, beyond the fact that both are run by Apple. Perhaps the '+' here stands for 'more'? As in, "Apple TV and more"? I'm reaching.
To be fair, several elements of Apple TV have long been a branding nightmare. There's the OG set top box called 'Apple TV' (though it was originally named 'iTV' before a branding dispute ended that). Then there's the 'Apple TV' the app – which lives on Apple TV, the box, but also on other services, including now Android devices. Then there's 'Apple TV+', the service. This resides within Apple TV, the app, which again, resides on Apple TV, the box, but also elsewhere.
And now, if you want to take full advantage of your Apple TV+ subscription, you also need to open up Apple Podcasts, which is an app, but also technically a service too. That's perhaps in part because there is no 'Apple Podcasts+' service, but there probably should be? Apple does offer premium podcasts, but those are in partnership with other podcast studios who are simply looking to sell subscriptions via Apple Podcasts.
Meanwhile, after pioneering the space and creating the device which gave it its name, Apple has been quickly falling behind in podcasting.
With this new "premium" Apple TV+ content inside of Apple Podcasts,1 Apple should probably create a bundle and offer those other premium podcasts to join up. It could be sold as a stand-alone 'Apple Podcasts+' service, but it would undoubtedly get much more uptake as a part of the Apple One bundle – just as is the case with Apple TV+. Or maybe it 'Apple Podcasts+' would simply be a part of 'Apple TV+' – a (small) carrot to get people to subscribe and keep them around...
Anyway, this Apple TV+ original podcast that has nothing to do with Apple TV+ is weird for now. Maybe they aim to turn it into an Apple TV+ (video) series eventually? Or maybe they just really have nowhere else to put it. Or maybe, just maybe it's an early test of a premium podcast tier for Apple.
M.G. Siegler
M.G. Siegler
M.G. Siegler
1 And just to make this slightly more confusing, there are other Apple TV+ podcasts which are not premium and not tied to your Apple TV+ subscription. Instead, those are podcasts actually tied to Apple TV+ shows, like Foundation, for example.