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Apple Plans to Bankroll Original Podcasts to Fend Off Rivals

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Re: Apple Plans to Bankroll Original Podcasts to Fend Off Rivals

#61
post #54

I don't like where media streaming is headed. This is what everyone is doing: 1. Create a distribution platform. Users pay $14 a month to stream all content. Everyone is happy. 2. Once successful, start creating exclusive content. 3. Content creators on your platform start their own platforms and take content off of yours. 4. Now users are paying $14 for 6 different distribution/content platforms. Might as well just…

Switch 2 and 3 and you can see what the issue is.

Content creators can easily create distribution platforms of their own. So if you're Disney? Well, why deal with Netflix?

Netflix et al are then in a bind, in that they eventually have less and less content, so they start making content.

It's kind of a vicious circle.

Re: Apple Plans to Bankroll Original Podcasts to Fend Off Rivals

#62
post #61
post #54

I don't like where media streaming is headed. This is what everyone is doing: 1. Create a distribution platform. Users pay $14 a month to stream all content. Everyone is happy. 2. Once successful, start creating exclusive content. 3. Content creators on your platform start their own platforms and take content off of yours. 4. Now users are paying $14 for 6 different distribution/content platforms. Might as well just…

Switch 2 and 3 and you can see what the issue is. Content creators can easily create distribution platforms of their own. So if you're Disney? Well, why deal with Netflix? Netflix et al are then in a bind, in that they eventually have less and less content, so they start making content. It's kind of a vicious circle.

But also, now a lot more art exists in the world that would otherwise have never have been created!

Sure it's annoying to view, but it's out there! (Note, it's annoying, not necessarily expensive! You can subscribe to a different service each month.)

Re: Apple Plans to Bankroll Original Podcasts to Fend Off Rivals

#63
post #54

I don't like where media streaming is headed. This is what everyone is doing: 1. Create a distribution platform. Users pay $14 a month to stream all content. Everyone is happy. 2. Once successful, start creating exclusive content. 3. Content creators on your platform start their own platforms and take content off of yours. 4. Now users are paying $14 for 6 different distribution/content platforms. Might as well just…

Still a lot better than cable since you can watch what you want in real time and no commercials.

Also you really don't need to subscribe to all of them. Who needs that much content? I can't even keep up with my Netflix or YouTube queue, let alone the others. I have Amazon Prime, but never use it. HBO for a couple shows, but could subscribe only during their seasons.

Re: Apple Plans to Bankroll Original Podcasts to Fend Off Rivals

#64
post #32
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the difference between exclusive podcasts and making a website that only runs on Safari? In both scenarios it is a company giving their product an artificial advantage. There's no technical reason that a website should only run on one browser, it kind of feels the same way with podcasts. Then again Netflix makes Netflix originals, which are only available on Netflix, and I don't mind that, so I guess my viewp…

> Then again Netflix makes Netflix originals, which are only available on Netflix, and I don't mind that There are arguments for why this could be a bad thing. Originals/exclusives have the effect of giving an "unfair" advantage to the company who makes them, because to watch them you need to subscribe to their service. This allows them to compete in avenues other than price and quality of service. This is a similar…

I don't understand why we're all of a sudden so concerned with exclusivity. Many high-profile games are platform exclusives, HBO is exclusive, Spotify has artist-exclusive recordings. The world still spins 'round.

There exists a sliding scale between "100% an agnostic platform" and "100% creates and hosts only exclusive content", both of which have existed for decades, and now people are worried that Apple is funding podcasts?

Re: Apple Plans to Bankroll Original Podcasts to Fend Off Rivals

#65
post #2

This is very unfortunate. Apple being totally hands off, other than running the iTunes podcast directory, is one of the best things that’s ever happened for podcasts. I like my 3rd party app (Overcast). I don’t want to have to use 3 podcast apps to listen to all my podcasts. I think I agree with some of the podcast app developers: if it’s not available in any app it shouldn’t be called a ‘podcast’.

Completely agree that if it’s not accessible on any app then it’s not a podcast. I also would pay for a podcast app that could guarantee that the audio file was the same for all listeners.

I wish the later could be possible. I have no idea how podcast-ads work but lately i noticed some podcasts giving me seemingly location-dependent ads. (about something in a nearby major city)

either everyone is getting advertisements for a very dallas targeted ad, or are the podcast companies making several versions of the podcast and serving different ones to different people? sounds like a lot of extra work to me, but I suppose its not hard to automate stitching a few ads into an audio file.

Re: Apple Plans to Bankroll Original Podcasts to Fend Off Rivals

#66
post #63
post #54

I don't like where media streaming is headed. This is what everyone is doing: 1. Create a distribution platform. Users pay $14 a month to stream all content. Everyone is happy. 2. Once successful, start creating exclusive content. 3. Content creators on your platform start their own platforms and take content off of yours. 4. Now users are paying $14 for 6 different distribution/content platforms. Might as well just…

Still a lot better than cable since you can watch what you want in real time and no commercials. Also you really don't need to subscribe to all of them. Who needs that much content? I can't even keep up with my Netflix or YouTube queue, let alone the others. I have Amazon Prime, but never use it. HBO for a couple shows, but could subscribe only during their seasons.

When cable was first introduced there were no commercials...

Re: Apple Plans to Bankroll Original Podcasts to Fend Off Rivals

#67
post #37
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kind of ironic, since the name "podcast" comes from the Apple iPod. If anybody would have first dibs on the name "podcast", it's them.

Apple didn't create the term podcast, though. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p038m811

“podcast” I think you meant.

Re: Apple Plans to Bankroll Original Podcasts to Fend Off Rivals

#68
post #54

I don't like where media streaming is headed. This is what everyone is doing: 1. Create a distribution platform. Users pay $14 a month to stream all content. Everyone is happy. 2. Once successful, start creating exclusive content. 3. Content creators on your platform start their own platforms and take content off of yours. 4. Now users are paying $14 for 6 different distribution/content platforms. Might as well just…

Without exclusive content what bargaining power does the platform have?

Re: Apple Plans to Bankroll Original Podcasts to Fend Off Rivals

#69
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Form what I read in the article it doesn't sound all that terrible. If Apple were to remove all non-Apple podcasts from its platform, that would be bad. This is just Apple supplementing what's already available. It's very much like Apple rolling out original television shows on the AppleTV. It's not like HBO is getting kicked out. It makes sense to me that Apple would do this. Since it's making podcasts a separate pr…

What is the difference between exclusive podcasts and making a website that only runs on Safari? In both scenarios it is a company giving their product an artificial advantage. There's no technical reason that a website should only run on one browser, it kind of feels the same way with podcasts. Then again Netflix makes Netflix originals, which are only available on Netflix, and I don't mind that, so I guess my viewp…

There are also plenty of audio productions which cost money but which would otherwise clearly be identified as "podcasts" if they were free and listed on podcast directories. The Howard Stern Show, for instance.

So I think the issue here is clearly just about the semantics of the term "podcast" and how people apparently strongly identify the term with free audio content available on multiple platforms. Presumably people wouldn't be too upset with Apple hiring Howard Stern to do a video interview series distributed on its premium video streaming platform. But apparently people would be upset if Apple hired Howard Stern to do an audio interview series distributed on its so-called "Podcasts" app.

Re: Apple Plans to Bankroll Original Podcasts to Fend Off Rivals

#70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Completely agree that if it’s not accessible on any app then it’s not a podcast. I also would pay for a podcast app that could guarantee that the audio file was the same for all listeners.

I wish the later could be possible. I have no idea how podcast-ads work but lately i noticed some podcasts giving me seemingly location-dependent ads. (about something in a nearby major city) either everyone is getting advertisements for a very dallas targeted ad, or are the podcast companies making several versions of the podcast and serving different ones to different people? sounds like a lot of extra work to me,…

The guys on .NET Rocks have talked a bit about this & being able to tweak & update ads over time. One big reason is people still listen to their old shows & they would like those ads to still have value.

I believe the host of your podcast files that people download will send different audio files to different people with different ads targeted in.

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