Apple debuts a brand new standalone Authentic podcast with true crime-focused ‘Hooked’ – TechCrunch

Apple is furthering its funding in Authentic Podcasts with at this time’s debut of the brand new true crime-focused Apple Authentic Podcast “Hooked.” The nine-part collection will discover the story of a high engineer, Tony Hathaway, whose habit to opioids led him to develop into some of the prolific financial institution robbers in U.S. historical past. The podcast is produced by Campside Media and is hosted by its co-founder, Josh Dean. It options interviews carried out over three years with Hathaway, his household, regulation enforcement officers, and others concerned within the story.

Whereas the subject material could also be compelling, what makes this podcast stand out is that, regardless of being branded an “Apple TV+ podcast,” the present “Hooked” is just not a tie-in to a different Apple TV+ collection or movie. (A minimum of not one which’s been introduced.)

Picture Credit: Apple

Different Apple TV+ branded podcasts, in the meantime, function companions to the streaming platform’s authentic video programming, together with “The Line” (tied to the warfare documentary airing later this month), in addition to “For All Mankind: The Official Podcast,” “Basis: The Official Podcast,” and “The Drawback With Jon Stewart: The Official Podcast.”

This isn’t the primary time Apple has experimented with a standalone podcast of some type, nevertheless.

Final 12 months, it launched the music interview podcast “The Zane Lowe Interview Sequence,” which noticed Apple’s World Inventive Director Lowe having conversations with well-liked artists like Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Hayley Williams and, Woman Gaga. Earlier than that, Apple revealed company information as podcasts, together with its keynotes, earnings calls, and occasions on the Apple Retailer. It additionally as soon as used the podcasting medium to distribute its 2019 Grammy’s Celebration, which had first live-streamed on Beats 1.

Though produced by Campside Media, the brand new “Hooked” podcast was developed via the Apple TV+ inventive crew, which is why Apple TV+ is credited on the podcast’s web page alongside the media firm.

The launch of a standalone podcast in a high style like true crime may point out an curiosity in testing the marketplace for extra Originals that aren’t essentially tied to different efforts, like Apple TV+ or Apple Music.

In contrast to a few of rival Spotify’s Originals and Exclusives, this present gained’t be locked into the Apple Podcasts app. As a substitute, customers can select to tune in by way of an app of their selecting, because the episodes are revealed each on Apple Podcasts and by way of RSS.

Apple Podcasts is out there in over 100 languages and in over 170 nations and areas throughout iPhone, iPad, iPod contact, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple Television, HomePod mini, CarPlay, iTunes on Home windows, and by way of different good audio system and automotive methods, notes Apple.

However RSS means the present will also be streamed by way of a third-party podcast app, like Pocket Casts, Overcast, Castbox, Podbean, and others.

The primary three episodes of “Hooked” are dwell at this time and new episodes will subsequently roll out each Wednesday.