In the aftermath of the Spotify’s exclusive deal with Joe Rogan, and its tectonic effect on the podsphere, We are seeing anonymously sourced reports from Apple that the company is building executive-level staff to manage original podcast development.
The source here is a Bloomberg report: “Apple Inc. is ramping up its push into original podcasts by seeking an executive to lead the initiative and buying shows that would be exclusive to its services.” The new exec would reportedly work for Apple’s head of podcasting Ben Cave.
As to the type of podcasting, Apple seems interested in the podcast/TV crossover, according to Bloomberg. That means developing audio programming that can migrate to TV, and turning some of the Apple TV+ programs into podcasts.
It’s facile to say that Apple is leaking this info in response to Spotify’s grab of Joe Rogan, adding his world-leading podcast to earlier acquisitions of Gimlet Media, Parcast, Anchor, and The Ringer. But it’s also key to remember that Apple is a much bigger, much richer, and entirely different company from Spotify. Podcasting is arguably a more essential core focus for Spotify than for Apple, despite Apple’s oversized distribution role for years.
Spotify is not (yet?) the #1 listening point for podcasts, but it is gaining quickly. Spotify is entirely a listening service. Apple is mainly a consumer electronics company that earned its podcast swagger by identifying podcasts early through the legacy iTunes store.