Apple said the billion subscriptions encompass over 250,000 unique podcasts in more than 8 million episodes, in more than 100 languages.
The California-based company noted in a statement within the Podcast section
of its site that podcasting has transformed the global media landscape.
"Podcasts on iTunes launched in the summer of 2005 and since then, we’ve
seen countless episodes downloaded and streamed. But the heart of podcasting
is finding your favorite voices in this exciting field and subscribing to
the best ones. To celebrate reaching 1 billion podcast subscriptions, we’re
highlighting some of the most popular podcasts of all time, as well as a
collection of captivating new shows."
TEDTalks and This American Life are among the featured shows.
Though Apple did not invest the podcast, the short broadcast takes its name
from the company's iPod, and has become associated with brief informative
bulletins covering a variety of topics and genres.
The top downloaded podcast in the UK is currently Friday Night Comedy from BBC
Radio 4 in a list dominated by BBC offerings.
<noframes>Datatable: iTunes Store Top 10 UK Podcasts</noframes>
Comedian Ricky Gervais used the medium to propel his career to new heights during 2005 with the launch of his podcast The Ricky Gervais Show. Throughout January and February 2006 it ranked as the number one ranked podcast in the world, and by March 2011 it had been downloaded over 300 million times.
<noframes>Datatable: iTunes Store Top 10 UK Podcasts</noframes>
Comedian Ricky Gervais used the medium to propel his career to new heights during 2005 with the launch of his podcast The Ricky Gervais Show. Throughout January and February 2006 it ranked as the number one ranked podcast in the world, and by March 2011 it had been downloaded over 300 million times.