Today, NBC launched a new channel subscription on Apple Podcasts called “Dateline Premium,” an ad-free plan that includes a seven-day free trial and costs $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year. Subscribers get ad-free episodes, early access to new content and exclusive bonus material.
NBC’s “Dateline” podcasts go more in-depth into true crime stories. Titles include “Dateline NBC,” “Dateline: Missing in America,” “The Seduction,” “Motive for Murder,” “The Thing About Helen & Olga,” “The Thing About Pam,” “Mommy Doomsday,” “13 Alibis” and “Killer Role.”
When subscribed to “Dateline Premium,” listeners get 400+ hours of exclusive audio programming. The subscription is available on iOS devices in 170 countries and regions. It can be found on the “Dateline NBC” channel on Apple Podcasts.
TV podcasts are more common than ever, and NBC is taking advantage of their popularity. According to Simplecast data, the audio version of “Dateline” TV broadcasts has a total of 775 million downloads since its launch in 2019, with more than 30 million downloads in the last month, an NBC spokesperson told Digiday.
True crime is a popular genre on Apple Podcasts. On the top shows chart, “Crime Junkie” is the No 1. top show. “Dateline NBC” is No. 9 overall and No. 3 in the true crime category.
Last week, Apple introduced two new subscription-focused podcast charts, “Top Subscriber Shows” and “Top Subscriber Channels,” which rank the top 100 shows and channels offering a subscription in the United States., U.K., Canada and Australia. Twenty-five percent or more of the podcasts in the overall top shows chart offer a subscription, though it’s not clear how many of their listeners are also subscribers.
Apple Podcasts Subscriptions launched in June 2021, giving subscribers ad-free listening, early access to new episodes, bonus content and more. Apple takes a 30% commission in a subscription’s first year, then that drops to 15% for renewals. The tech giant boasted that six months after the rollout of Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, one in five subscriptions experienced an adoption rate of over 10%. Since launch, subscribers on Apple Podcasts have grown by 300%, the company said.
Earlier this month, Apple closed a deal with Futuro Studios to develop original podcasts. The company has recently invested in original Apple TV+ podcasts, such as “Hooked,” “Missed Fortune” and “Run, Bambi, Run.”