iTunes Podcasts: Provider News & Announcements

[iTunes Podcasts]

Dear Podcast Provider,

To improve your experience with podcasts, we've introduced the following updates and features:

·	Podcasts App Included in iOS 8
·	Updated Cover Art Requirements
·	iTunes Affiliate Program
·	Custom Episode Sequence

Podcasts App Included in iOS 8
The Podcasts app is now included in iOS 8. To help you reach this larger audience more effectively through search and browsing, be sure your podcast's metadata and cover art meet Apple's technical specifications.
http://www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts/specs.html

Updated Cover Art Requirements
To submit your Podcasts to the iTunes Store, you must have cover art of at least 1400 x 1400 pixels in the RGB color space and in the JPEG or PNG file formats. Additionally, the server hosting your cover art image must allow HTTP HEAD requests.

iTunes Affiliate Program
The Podcasts app now supports HTML links in podcast and episode notes. This new option also supports iTunes affiliate links. The iTunes affiliate program allows you to track downloads of free items and earn commission on items purchased by customers, including on the iTunes Store, App Store, and iBooks Store.

Learn more about the iTunes affiliate program.
https://www.apple.com/itunes/affiliates

Custom Episode Sequence
By default, podcast episodes appear on the iTunes Store in reverse chronological order based on the <pubDate> tag value. You can change episode order by setting the <itunes:order> tag value to the order in which you'd like the episode to appear. For example, for an <item> you'd like to appear as the first episode of the podcast, use the number 1 as the <itunes:order> tag value. If the same order number is used by more than one episode, those episodes will revert to chronological order based on <pubDate>.

For more information about these new features and requirements, see Making a Podcast.
http://www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts/specs.html

Regards,

The iTunes Podcast team


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