by Apple launches its new Delegated Delivery System to its Podcasts Platform as a way for creators to easily manage and distribute their shows on certain third-party platforms.
The purpose of this feature is to essentially help podcasters with the operational overhead so that they can only focus on creating the best content possible. Delegated delivery allows creators to authorize a participating provider to automatically deliver their shows to Apple Podcasts.
The service will have a unique dashboard for each provider with the ability to schedule a release, provide early access to premium users, or publish ad-free podcasts. Supported formats include WAV, FLAC and MP3 files.
Podcast data such as analytics and subscription reports is not provided to any of the participating platforms. The full list of carriers that support Delegated Delivery has not been disclosed, but Apple did mention a few.
Some of the participating platforms are ART19, Buzzsprout and Libsyn. Apple recommends being regular Hosting Providers page for updates on if and when their host supports the feature.
And the best part is that delegated delivery is free for all creators on the platform. You don’t need to be a member of the Apple Podcasters program to publish shows for free, but you do need to be a member to publish premium episodes. Delegated Delivery doesn’t have a specific launch date, but will be out sometime in the fall.
In addition to delegated delivery, Apple has quietly announced that podcast makers can now offer annual subscriptions to its audience in more than 170 countries and regions.
Analysis: Fighting Over Podcasts
The battle for the podcast market continues to heat up.
For the past year, Apple has been working to improve its lackluster podcast platform, which in the past has “a real disaster† For example, the company has released a new management feature called Apple Podcasts Subscriptions back in June 2021 that will allow people to subscribe to their favorite shows through official channels.
But it remains to be seen if Apple can compete with its podcast rivals. Spotify has been consistently releasing podcast-focused features like free up for a while now Video podcasts for creators in the US and UK.
YouTube also wants a piece of that pie if recent reports indicates that it is looking for podcast RSS feeds on its site. Hopefully, Apple isn’t too late to catch the podcast wave, or else it might fall behind its rivals.
