San Francisco, May 17 (IANS): Tech giant Apple has announced a new feature, Apple Podcasts Delegated Delivery, to allow creators to upload, manage, and distribute their premium audio through participating third-party hosting providers.

Delegated Delivery reduces operational tasks for podcast subscriptions so that creators can focus on making and marketing their work.

"When Delegated Delivery launches this fall, creators will be able to authorise a participating hosting provider to deliver free and premium episodes to Apple Podcasts on their behalf," the company said in a statement.

"Once authorised, creators can simply use the dashboard offered by their participating hosting provider to publish new free and premium episodes. This includes the ability to schedule the release of exclusive, early access, bonus, and ad-free content using WAV, FLAC, and MP3 files," it added.

Delegated Delivery also allows creators to submit premium and free shows, making it even easier to add new shows to the Apple Podcasts directory through participating hosting providers.

All shows and subscriptions will continue to be reviewed by Apple Podcasts before they are available to ensure they meet our content guidelines.

"Additional information about Delegated Delivery, including resources to help creators take advantage of this new feature, will be published by Apple Podcasts and participating hosting providers before launch," the company said.

With Delegated Delivery, Apple said it continues its legacy of building tools and technologies that advance the podcast industry's open ecosystem to serve listeners and creators worldwide.