Would you prefer your podcasts geo-locked or to be wrapped up as a subscription podcast on one of the biggest podcast directories in the world? Would it help if the two companies in question were the BBC and Apple?
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - OCTOBER 22: People walk near the entrance to BBC Broadcasting House on ... [+]
Today saw a number of BBC podcasts move from the former to the latter, as BBC Studios debut a number of podcasts (including 5 Minutes On) with Apple's Podcast subscription service (reports HotPod). And I applaud the move.
The BBC has produces, broadcasts, and uploads a lot of audio. Putting aside the shows that are only accessible through the proprietary BBC Sounds service because of (ahem) the unique way the BBC is funded in the United Kingdom by the licence fee it can't make all of its podcasts open to the whole world for free in the way that it does in the United Kingdom.
The Apple Podcasts subscription service allows podcasters to charge for access to their episodes, rather than have them on the open internet. Through the subscription service, BBC Studios now has a cost-effective and simple to implement route to bringing the podcasts to new markets. Labelled, as BBC Podcasts Premium, the podcasts are currently are available in the US and Canada, with more territories and more podcasts expected in the future.
Oh and it's good for Apple as well, I presume it's going to take its thirty percent rake as normal, although this drops to fifteen percent after someone has been signed up for a year.
Unlike exclusive deals with podcast creators that lock shows away in a specific service (I'm looking at you, Spotify), this move is more practical. Without it, these BBC shows would not be available outside of the UK. UK listeners won't be impacted at all, but the ability to charge for these podcasts - presumably using the revenue to cover the necessary worldwide licencing fees - means their availability has increased rather than decreased.
I can get behind that.
Well played, BBC. Well played
