Apple’s paid podcast service could be featured at tomorrow’s event

From 9to5Mac we get a last minute rumor from Vox Media editor Peter Kafka. Apparently one of the novelties of tomorrow’s event would be the paid podcast subscription service, with a name to define but which could well be ‘Podcasts +’.

It would be the first attempt at promotion an exclusive, ad-free podcast catalog

, in addition to the free podcast layer that we have so far accessed from our favorite app / service. It would also be an initiative of Apple to keep the revenue growth of its service division at a good pace.

One idea, many ways to apply it

If we pay attention to other past leaks, starting with the launch of iOS 14.5 we would have the option to “Follow” a podcast for free or “subscribe” for a fee.

It’s unclear if this will only apply to a few podcasts, or if there will be a premium catalog. Maybe Apple will launch some sort of service to help monetize any podcasts added to the catalog, whatever it is.

The only similar thing we’ve seen are the exclusive podcasts that Spotify released last year, though they’re still free. We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see if this rumor is correct and what kind of strategy Apple is going to follow to attract payments for content that has so far always been free.