October 10, 2025

The ad-free shows in Apple Podcasts - who pays?

4 minutes

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Apple Podcasts is promoting some shows as “ad-free in October” - but Podnews has learnt that publishers are not being compensated for the lack of revenue. Affected publishers include public radio stations, who have already seen significant funding cuts this year. Our full report looks at other podcast platforms offering ad-free shows; and Taylor Swift’s argument in 2015 with the company, about who should be paying.

Podcasting creates a unique one-on-one connection between hosts and listeners - a parasocial relationship, amplified by the rhythm and proximity of podcasting. So, will AI break this trust? Alberto Betella from RSS.com, suggests that AI voices can be trusted, as long as they use the right prosodic cues - and they’re used responsibly. Meanwhile, Tom Webster from Sounds Profitable writes that AI-performed ads may unlock significant new revenue.

Transistor has released a free podcast episode art generator, which uses your podcast feed to help make episodes. You can use it wherever you’re hosted. Justin uses it for his Build your Saas podcast.

> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.

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