Apple Looking to Buy Exclusive Original Podcasts to Compete With Spotify and Promote Apple TV+

Apple is working on original podcasts that will be exclusive to the Podcasts app, and is searching for an executive to lead its podcast efforts, reports Bloomberg.

Apple Podcast
Earlier this year, Bloomberg suggested Apple was developing original podcasts focused on TV shows and movies from its Apple TV+ streaming service, using the podcasts as a way to promote ‌Apple TV‌+, but it appears Apple is also planning to purchase original content.

Apple will focus on audio spinoffs of existing movies and programs on ‌Apple TV‌+, but is also seeking to purchase original programs that could potentially be adapted into future TV+ content. Apple is said to be searching for an executive to lead its original podcasting work. The new hire will report to Ben Cave, Apple's head of podcasting.

Apple is also said to have asked some producers working on podcasts to provide versions of their podcasts without advertisements, an effort separate from its work on original content.

Apple Music competitor Spotify has been focusing heavily on podcasts over the course of the last year, aiming to challenge Apple's dominance in the podcasting sphere. Apple's Podcasts app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac have long been the go-to listening choice for Apple customers.

Spotify has been working on original podcast content and has purchased several well-known podcasts. Spotify in February 2019, for example, purchased Gimlet Media, known for podcasts like "Reply All" and "Homecoming." Just this week, Spotify scored exclusive rights to popular podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience," which will see all of the podcasts made available exclusively through Spotify.

According to podcast producers that spoke to Bloomberg, Apple is just "dipping its toe" into original podcast content and has not yet made a massive leap into original podcast content like Spotify.

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...

Top Rated Comments

jameswilby Avatar
67 months ago
I said it on the recent JRE one and it extends to here... whatever the company, it doesn’t matter. I’m not sure I like this direction for podcasts as a whole

I can understand podcasts to accompany and exclusive show with that being the only topic... but otherwise. Please no
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CWallace Avatar
67 months ago
I'm not a fan of having to subscribe to a service to listen to a podcast, even if said service offers free tiers, as I enjoy being able to use only one "portal" (in my case, Overcast) to listen to everything I currently follow.

This goes as much for Apple as it does for Spotify and Luminary.

As an aside, I found Andrew Wilkinson's piece in Medium last September on how signing for an exclusive with Spotify or Luminary (and now, Apple?) could be a way to get "ripped off" interesting.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Westside guy Avatar
67 months ago
If I can’t get to it via an RSS feed then it’s not a podcast, dammit.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JWiLL1988 Avatar
67 months ago
Should’ve done this BEFORE Joe Budden and Joe Rogan signed with Spotify.

Apple behind the ball again
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
russell_314 Avatar
67 months ago
This crap is bad for podcasting. The whole point of podcasting is it’s not exclusive and it doesn’t have some built-in advertising spam
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spungoflex Avatar
67 months ago

I don't think Joe Rogan is the kinda content Apple wants to hitch their ride to.
Which is why Apple is destined to lose in the entertainment realm. Everything they produce or broadcast will need to be safe, bland, inoffensive, and ultra PC.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)