Podcast Lookup — Apple Podcasts Show & Episode Data

Paste a list of Apple Podcasts collection IDs and get each show's full record — title, publisher, genres, episode count, artwork, RSS feed URL — plus its recent episodes with titles, descriptions, release dates, durations and direct audio URLs. This calls Apple's own public iTunes lookup endpoint: no API key, no scraping, no feed parsing on your side.

Who it's for

Podcast directory and discovery apps use this to populate show pages with real artwork, publisher and episode data instead of maintaining their own scraper. Media researchers and analysts pull episode counts and release cadence across a list of shows to spot which ones have gone quiet versus which are still actively publishing. Advertisers and sponsorship platforms check latestReleaseDate before pitching a show, since a large episodeCount on a dead feed is a wasted outreach. And it's the fast path to a show's real RSS feed URL when you need to go deeper than the recent-episodes window this actor returns.

Why this one

• Apple's own lookup endpoint, not a scrape. The same public API Apple's own clients use — no HTML selectors, no rate-limit games with a rendered page.
• You don't pay for IDs that don't resolve. An invalid, delisted or non-podcast ID comes back found: false and is never billed.
• Show and episodes in one call. You get the show record and its recent episodes, including the direct audioUrl, without a second request or an RSS parser.
• The RSS feed URL comes with it. feedUrl is the show's real feed, so you can go deeper yourself whenever the recent-episodes window isn't enough.
• One row per show, or one per episode. Turn on expandRows when you want episodes as their own rows for a table.

What you get

One row per show by default, with episodes nested in episodes. Turn on expandRows to get one row per episode instead. Field names are stable and won't be renamed between runs.

Field	Type / format	Description
query	text	The collection ID exactly as submitted.
found	boolean	Whether the ID resolved to a podcast. Gates billing — false rows are never charged.
status	text	OK, NOT_FOUND (invalid, delisted, or not a podcast), or BAD_FORMAT.
collectionId	number	Apple's numeric collection ID for the show.
name	text	Show title.
publisher	text	Publisher or network name.
genres	array	Apple's genre labels for the show.
episodeCount	number	Total episodes Apple reports for the show.
feedUrl	link	The show's RSS feed — the door to full history.
artworkUrl	link	Show artwork, 600px where available.
explicitness	text	Apple's explicit-content marker, e.g. explicit, notExplicit.
latestReleaseDate	date (ISO 8601)	Release date of the most recent episode — the activity signal.
storeUrl	link	Public Apple Podcasts page for the show.
country	text	Storefront the record came from.
episodes	array	Recent episodes, each with the fields below.
episodeTitle	text	Episode title.
episodeDescription	text	Episode show notes.
episodeReleaseDate	date (ISO 8601)	When the episode was published.
episodeDurationMs	number	Episode length in milliseconds.
audioUrl	link	Direct audio file URL for the episode.
episodeUrl	link	Apple Podcasts page for the episode.
episodeGuid	text	The episode's GUID from the feed — stable across runs.
scrapedAt	date (ISO 8601)	When the lookup ran.

Shows, episodes, and the RSS feed

This actor returns two different things in one call, and knowing which is which matters for how you use the output. The show-level fields (name, publisher, episodeCount, feedUrl, and the rest) come from Apple's lookup endpoint and describe the whole podcast. episodes is a recent window, not the archive — Apple's endpoint hands back the latest run of episodes, capped well short of episodeCount on any long-running show.

If you need every episode a 500-episode show has ever published, this actor isn't the right tool for that step — feedUrl is. It's the show's real RSS feed, the same one podcast apps subscribe to, and it carries the full history. Treat this actor as the fast way to get the show record and a recent activity signal (latestReleaseDate tells you if it's still live); treat feedUrl as the door to everything beyond that.

Price

$4 per 1,000 podcasts, plus a $0.00005 start fee. Misses (found:false) are never charged.

You're billed per collection ID that resolves to a podcast, however many episodes come back with it. An invalid, delisted or non-podcast ID costs nothing, no matter how many are in the list. Run 1,000 shows and, at the live FREE-tier price, that's roughly $4 if every one resolves — cheaper in practice, since delisted or invalid IDs cost nothing, and cheaper again on paid Apify tiers. Nothing is billed between runs.

How to use

1. In the Apify Console. Open the actor page and click Start — the items field is already pre-filled with a working example. Results land in the run's dataset as soon as each item is found.
2. Via the API. Call it directly with a POST request — no Console needed once you have an API token:

   curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~podcast-lookup/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_TOKEN>" \
     -X POST \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"items":["1200361736"]}'
   

3. On a schedule. Save this actor as an Apify Task with the input you want, then add a Schedule (hourly, daily, weekly) so it runs on its own — no server of your own required.

1. Paste your collection IDs into items — the number after /id in any Apple Podcasts URL.
2. Run the actor. Each ID is looked up against Apple's endpoint, in parallel up to maxConcurrency.
3. Turn on expandRows if you want one row per episode rather than episodes nested per show.
4. Read the dataset. Misses are written as found: false rows so you can see what failed, and are never charged.

Common ways teams use this:

• Build a podcast directory with artwork, genres, publisher and episode counts from a list of IDs.
• Monitor whether a show is still active by reading latestReleaseDate rather than trusting episode count alone.
• Feed a transcription or analysis pipeline using audioUrl straight from the episode rows.
• Research a niche by running a candidate ID list and sorting on episodeCount and latestReleaseDate.
• Grab the RSS feed at scale via feedUrl when you need full history beyond the recent window.

Input

{
  "items": [
    "1200361736"
  ]
}

One numeric Apple Podcasts collection ID per line — found in a show's podcasts.apple.com URL, e.g. 1200361736 in .../the-daily/id1200361736. Accepted formats: 1200361736.

{
  "items": ["1200361736", "1435076502"],
  "expandRows": false,
  "onlyFound": false,
  "maxConcurrency": 5
}

items is your list of Apple Podcasts collection IDs — the digits after /id in a URL like podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736. Turn on testRun to try the list against a small sample first. expandRows switches between one row per show and one row per episode. onlyFound drops miss rows, maxResults stops the run early, includeKeywords and excludeKeywords filter rows by content, and columns picks which fields come back — useful for keeping a table narrow when you don't need full episode descriptions.

Sample output

query	found	status	collectionId	name	publisher	genres	episodeCount	feedUrl	artworkUrl	explicitness	latestReleaseDate	storeUrl	country	episodes	episodeTitle	episodeDescription	episodeReleaseDate	episodeDurationMs	audioUrl	episodeUrl	episodeContentRating	episodeArtworkUrl	episodeGuid	scrapedAt
1200361736	true	OK	1200361736	The Daily	The New York Times	["Daily News","Podcasts","News"]	2706	https://feeds.simplecast.com/Sl5CSM3S	https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts221/v4/ab/64/66/ab6466a9-9a7d-e20e-7a3d-bc5be37d29ce/mza_15084852813176276273.jpg/600x600bb.jpg	notExplicit	2026-08-30T10:00:00Z	https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736?uo=4	USA	[{"episodeTitle":"Who Will Rule the 2026 U.S. Open?","episodeDescription":"The U.S. Open, the final tournament of the tennis season, is getting underway. The world’s best players are heading to the U.S.T.A. Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, N.Y., to battle it out for the chance to play a championship match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis arena in the world.\n\nThe players come freighted with great expectations, previous victories and defeats, aches and pains, personal dramas and professional rivalries, all of which they will carry with them out on the court when they play. Tennis is a game that exposes a lot about its players, which is one of the things that makes it so beloved around the world.\n\nIn this episode of the “Sunday Daily,” the host Natalie Kitroeff talks with Matthew Futterman, a senior tennis writer for The Athletic and the author of “The Cruelest Game: Chasing Greatness in Professional Tennis,” about this year’s crop of players. They’ll dig into the biggest rivalries and dramas brewing in the tournament ahead.\n\nOn Today’s Episode:\n\nMatthew Futterman, a senior tennis writer for The Athletic, and the author of “The Cruelest Game: Chasing Greatness in Professional Tennis.”\n\nBackground Reading:\n\n“U.S. Open Men’s Title Contenders: Jannik Sinner Cut, Carlos Alcaraz In and a U.S. Man’s Big Chance?”\n\nPhoto credit: Al Bello/Getty Images. \n\nFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. \n \nSubscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.\n\n\n Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.","episodeReleaseDate":"2026-08-30T10:00:00Z","episodeDurationMs":2326000,"audioUrl":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/pscrb.fm/rss/p/nyt.simplecastaudio.com/03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a/episodes/a3c11eaa-5359-4b9c-9142-3f4a1b3a18b5/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a&awEpisodeId=a3c11eaa-5359-4b9c-9142-3f4a1b3a18b5&feed=Sl5CSM3S","episodeUrl":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/who-will-rule-the-2026-u-s-open/id1200361736?i=1000786802919&uo=4","episodeContentRating":"Clean","episodeArtworkUrl":"https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts221/v4/33/ea/df/33eadf20-d10f-4acb-94b4-49958d7b9358/mza_7903952254173584549.jpg/600x600bb.jpg","episodeGuid":"c2a1670f-c52f-4f65-aae8-9fb9605fe30c"},{"episodeTitle":"Ina Garten Says You Can Either Get on Her Train or Get Out of the Way","episodeDescription":"At 78, the cookbook author and Food Network host knows what she likes, knows what she wants and isn’t stopping anytime soon.\n\n\n Thoughts? Email us at theinterview@nytimes.com\n Watch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcast\n For transcripts and more, visit: nytimes.com/theinterview\n\nFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. \n \nSubscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.\n\n\n Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.","episodeReleaseDate":"2026-08-29T10:00:00Z","episodeDurationMs":2268000,"audioUrl":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/pscrb.fm/rss/p/nyt.simplecastaudio.com/03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a/episodes/12ac1779-4099-46f4-adc9-3f12f51161b0/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a&awEpisodeId=12ac1779-4099-46f4-adc9-3f12f51161b0&feed=Sl5CSM3S","episodeUrl":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ina-garten-says-you-can-either-get-on-her-train-or/id1200361736?i=1000786647648&uo=4","episodeContentRating":"Clean","episodeArtworkUrl":"https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts221/v4/e3/3b/6e/e33b6e44-2d6e-8249-2b13-3183c8a9a8ea/mza_11919365639319419306.jpg/600x600bb.jpg","episodeGuid":"b36b086c-6a67-4e31-8360-67511439d497"},{"episodeTitle":"Lindsay Clancy Is on Trial. So Is Postpartum Psychosis.","episodeDescription":"Warning: this episode mentions suicide.\n\nThe trial of Lindsay Clancy, a mother who is being tried for the killings of her three young children, has captivated the country for weeks. It has also raised difficult questions about how we treat postpartum women who are in crisis.\n\nEllen Barry, a New York Times reporter who has been covering the trial, takes us inside the courtroom and explains the stakes of the outcome.\n\nGuest: Ellen Barry, a reporter covering mental health for The New York Times.\n\nBackground reading: \n\n\n What we know about the trial of Lindsay Clancy for her children’s deaths.\n Why the Lindsay Clancy case is dividing Americans.\n How to understand the wide range of sympathy for a mother on trial for murder.\n\nPhoto: Pool photo by Greg Derr\n\nFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. \n \nSubscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.\n\n\n Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.","episodeReleaseDate":"2026-08-28T09:45:00Z","episodeDurationMs":1934000,"audioUrl":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/pscrb.fm/rss/p/nyt.simplecastaudio.com/03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a/episodes/154119be-1cc6-47ac-a8fd-40bd1dc25849/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a&awEpisodeId=154119be-1cc6-47ac-a8fd-40bd1dc25849&feed=Sl5CSM3S","episodeUrl":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lindsay-clancy-is-on-trial-so-is-postpartum-psychosis/id1200361736?i=1000786479520&uo=4","episodeContentRating":"Explicit","episodeArtworkUrl":"https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts211/v4/26/71/0c/26710c5e-248b-b250-f08d-ec2ed8b28675/mza_4349140720149583749.jpg/600x600bb.jpg","episodeGuid":"b68a7b53-55eb-424b-9bf8-93480c0f4927"},{"episodeTitle":"A Historic Settlement Over Social Media Addiction","episodeDescription":"Meta, the world’s biggest social media company, reached a multibillion-dollar legal settlement on Wednesday over claims that its technology was addictive to children.\n\nThe company agreed to impose major changes to how minors use its products.\n\nCecilia Kang, a technology reporter for The New York Times, explains why a company that almost never backs down finally cut a deal, and whether this will start a new era of accountability for Big Tech.\n\nGuest: Cecilia Kang, a reporter covering technology and regulatory policy for The New York Times.\n\nBackground reading: \n\n\n Meta will pay up to $17.1 billion over claims of social media addiction.\n A movement to restrict social media for children has taken hold globally.\n\nPhoto: Jason Henry for The New York Times\n\nFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. \n \nSubscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.\n\n\n Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.","episodeReleaseDate":"2026-08-27T09:45:00Z","episodeDurationMs":1689000,"audioUrl":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/pscrb.fm/rss/p/nyt.simplecastaudio.com/03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a/episodes/e86e618a-7957-4942-8be2-92527e285d53/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a&awEpisodeId=e86e618a-7957-4942-8be2-92527e285d53&feed=Sl5CSM3S","episodeUrl":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-historic-settlement-over-social-media-addiction/id1200361736?i=1000786254833&uo=4","episodeContentRating":"Clean","episodeArtworkUrl":"https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts211/v4/30/f9/92/30f99280-79eb-6a62-fb78-f9389227bd34/mza_15349412839658773312.jpg/600x600bb.jpg","episodeGuid":"efca451f-5904-47a8-98fc-4142733aefe3"},{"episodeTitle":"The Stunning Rise of the Democratic Socialists of America","episodeDescription":"This summer, the Democratic Socialists of America have mounted their biggest and most successful attempt yet to redefine the Democratic Party. They have defeated its candidates in primary after primary from coast to coast.\n\nAs its electoral success grows, the organization is confronting big, unresolved questions about what it stands for and what level of compromise is required to become a lasting political force.\n\nCharles Homans, who talked to more than 30 D.S.A. candidates, organizers, members and volunteers across the countries, discusses the rise and limitations of the D.S.A. \n\nGuest: Charles Homans writes about national politics for The New York Times and The Times Magazine.\n\nBackground reading: \n\n\n Moderates see socialists as a threat to the Democratic Party. Socialists agree.\n\nPhoto: Dave Sanders and Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times; Joe Raedle/Getty Images\n\nFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. \n \nSubscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.\n\n\n Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.","episodeReleaseDate":"2026-08-26T09:45:00Z","episodeDurationMs":3006000,"audioUrl":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/pscrb.fm/rss/p/nyt.simplecastaudio.com/03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a/episodes/0c086bb9-eea2-4c28-84d1-82d0843d0a8f/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a&awEpisodeId=0c086bb9-eea2-4c28-84d1-82d0843d0a8f&feed=Sl5CSM3S","episodeUrl":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-stunning-rise-of-the-democratic-socialists-of-america/id1200361736?i=1000786017661&uo=4","episodeContentRating":"Clean","episodeArtworkUrl":"https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts211/v4/da/cb/7d/dacb7d8c-8df6-d686-4e95-d33b3523fb69/mza_9646682038597416931.jpg/600x600bb.jpg","episodeGuid":"1806d36e-b3f7-4e4f-a1cf-6d59aef89517"},{"episodeTitle":"Think Baseball Is Boring? The Savannah Bananas Are Here to Fix That.","episodeDescription":"Jesse and Emily Cole created the Savannah Bananas with a simple mission in mind: to make baseball as entertaining as possible. They introduced some innovations to America’s pastime, including twerking umpires, stilt-walking pitchers and TikTok-ready choreographed dance numbers. They tinkered with the rules of baseball, making a game that was shorter and faster, with plenty of opportunities for fan engagement. The result? A sports sensation. In the 10 years since its founding, the team has become one of the most popular sports organizations in the world, reaching tens of millions of fans online, with a waiting list of millions of others hoping to see a game in person.\n\nFor many, the Bananas are the ultimate sports success story, one that shows a path forward for teams and leagues concerned about fan retention in an era of shortened attention spans and endless entertainment options. But others take a less rosy view of the Bananas and their hyper-energetic brand of baseball, seeing them as an existential threat to a game that fans have loved for more than a hundred years.\n\nOn today’s show, our host Natalie Kitroeff talks with Jonathan Abrams, a Times reporter who covers culture news, about the Bananas phenomenon, and then heads to a Banana Ball game to see things for herself.\n\n \n\nOn Today's Episode\n\nJonathan Abrams is a reporter for The New York Times covering national culture news.\n\n \n\nBackground Reading\n\nA Broadway Star Is the Savannah Bananas’ Phantom of the Bullpen\n\nAs Savannah Bananas pursue ‘a billion fans,’ are they real competition for MLB?\n\n \n\nPhoto: Al Bello/Getty Images\n\nFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. \n \nSubscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.\n\n\n Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.","episodeReleaseDate":"2026-08-23T10:00:00Z","episodeDurationMs":2212000,"audioUrl":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/pscrb.fm/rss/p/nyt.simplecastaudio.com/03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a/episodes/7c1cf1e1-4c49-4b25-8669-fcc896082e21/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a&awEpisodeId=7c1cf1e1-4c49-4b25-8669-fcc896082e21&feed=Sl5CSM3S","episodeUrl":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/think-baseball-is-boring-the-savannah-bananas-are/id1200361736?i=1000785268020&uo=4","episodeContentRating":"Clean","episodeArtworkUrl":"https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts211/v4/27/c5/52/27c552f2-3e24-ecd6-4ddf-8c782087c129/mza_15783495943155137694.jpg/600x600bb.jpg","episodeGuid":"4aff7ca7-d64b-436a-b069-0d39594a1246"},{"episodeTitle":"An Expert on Conflict Says Your Relationships Are Doomed Without It","episodeDescription":"The author Priya Parker says the key to human connection is to lean into the fight.\n\n\n Thoughts? Email us at theinterview@nytimes.com\n Watch our show on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheInterviewPodcast\n For transcripts and more, visit: nytimes.com/theinterview\n\nFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. \n \nSubscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.\n\n\n Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.","episodeReleaseDate":"2026-08-22T10:00:00Z","episodeDurationMs":2533000,"audioUrl":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/pscrb.fm/rss/p/nyt.simplecastaudio.com/03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a/episodes/e61d6493-9c70-4934-8526-c2af1dee3c56/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a&awEpisodeId=e61d6493-9c70-4934-8526-c2af1dee3c56&feed=Sl5CSM3S","episodeUrl":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/an-expert-on-conflict-says-your-relationships-are/id1200361736?i=1000785079115&uo=4","episodeContentRating":"Clean","episodeArtworkUrl":"https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts221/v4/36/6d/3d/366d3da2-eb49-b1af-77ae-e3fa30b5b7d4/mza_11717021474201912110.jpg/600x600bb.jpg","episodeGuid":"076969e0-7859-4f86-9a8e-aea0065ad80b"},{"episodeTitle":"What Makes a Killer Thriller?","episodeDescription":"The New York Times Book Review recently released its list of the 50 best thrillers of the 21st century.\n\nTo put it together, the team asked almost 300 authors and other experts to vote for the best heart-thumping, page-turning, white knuckle reads published since 2000.\n\nIn this episode of “The Sunday Daily,” Natalie Kitroeff talks with the Times thrillers columnist, Sarah Lyall, about how the list came together. Then, Natalie speaks with one of the greatest thriller writers of this century — with four books featured on the list — the author Tana French.\n\nOn Today’s Episode:\n\nSarah Lyall writes a monthly thrillers column for The New York Times.\n\nTana French is the author of many best-selling books, including “In the Woods,” “The Searcher,” “The Likeness” and “The Witch Elm.”\n\nBackground Reading:\n\nThe 50 Best Thrillers of the 21st Century\n\nPhoto credit: Naila Ruechel\n\nFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. \n \nSubscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.\n\n\n Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.","episodeReleaseDate":"2026-08-16T10:00:00Z","episodeDurationMs":2549000,"audioUrl":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/pscrb.fm/rss/p/nyt.simplecastaudio.com/03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a/episodes/86e93b87-31f1-452f-9a1c-be859adc16db/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a&awEpisodeId=86e93b87-31f1-452f-9a1c-be859adc16db&feed=Sl5CSM3S","episodeUrl":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-makes-a-killer-thriller/id1200361736?i=1000783612568&uo=4","episodeContentRating":"Clean","episodeArtworkUrl":"https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts221/v4/61/58/db/6158db47-4e9a-7446-9b8f-d59e739b2759/mza_7361357450256526172.jpg/600x600bb.jpg","episodeGuid":"2f51b4e7-6173-4499-9cdd-da57a4d3eadb"},{"episodeTitle":"Is 'Gentle Parenting' Ruining French Children?","episodeDescription":"“Traditional” French parenting is built on a foundation of firm boundaries, strictness and punishment for misbehavior. Within these rules, children are also allowed freedom and autonomy, which some say results in both well-behaved children and stress-free parents.\n\nIn recent years, though, American-style “gentle” or “positive” parenting has gained a toehold in the country, unsettling decades of orthodoxy about the best way to raise a French child. It has prompted a fierce debate, with both sides accusing the other of being harmful.\n\nIn today’s episode, Madeleine Schwartz, a journalist who lives in Paris, talks with Michael Barbaro about the dispute over parenting styles in France and what it says about the eternal search for the “right” way to raise children.\n\nOn Today’s Episode:\n\nMadeleine Schwartz is a journalist and editor in Paris.\n\nBackground Reading:\n\nDid American-Style ‘Gentle Parenting’ Spoil French Children?\n\nArt Credit: Illustration by Kimberly Elliott\n\nFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. \n \nSubscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.\n\n\n Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.","episodeReleaseDate":"2026-08-09T10:00:00Z","episodeDurationMs":2340000,"audioUrl":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/pscrb.fm/rss/p/nyt.simplecastaudio.com/03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a/episodes/3d6d98b1-6490-468a-83b3-bd4c693fa8b4/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a&awEpisodeId=3d6d98b1-6490-468a-83b3-bd4c693fa8b4&feed=Sl5CSM3S","episodeUrl":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/is-gentle-parenting-ruining-french-children/id1200361736?i=1000781224723&uo=4","episodeContentRating":"Clean","episodeArtworkUrl":"https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts211/v4/ba/47/ce/ba47ce40-2cc2-aae9-a32a-be8f900763ee/mza_13586499246644339222.jpg/600x600bb.jpg","episodeGuid":"6baab6b1-70a4-4f0c-8031-ed0170be43ea"},{"episodeTitle":"After Losing Her Limbs, Our Cooking Columnist Returns to the Kitchen","episodeDescription":"For decades, the kitchen was the centerpiece of Yewande Komolafe’s life. She spent long hours there, first as a restaurant cook and later as a recipe developer. But though she loved the often-intense culinary world, she had to navigate it with certain limitations: She was born with sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder, which required her to carefully manage her working life. She did so successfully, becoming a celebrated cookbook author and food writer for The Times.\n\nA medical crisis in December 2023 changed all of that. Komolafe ended up in a coma for six weeks, and after emerging learned that both her legs and her fingers would need to be amputated. In this episode of “The Sunday Daily,” Komolafe tells Rachel Abrams about what happened and how, after everything, she made her way back into the kitchen.\n\nOn Today’s Episode:\n\nYewande Komolafe is a cooking columnist for The New York Times.\n\nBackground Reading:\n\nHow Losing My Limbs Turned Me Into a Different Kind of Cook\n\nThe Chef Imagining a More Accessible World, One Meal at a Time\n\nPhoto credit: Lanna Apisukh.\n\nFor more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. \n \nSubscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.\n\n\n Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.","episodeReleaseDate":"2026-08-02T10:00:00Z","episodeDurationMs":1889000,"audioUrl":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/pscrb.fm/rss/p/nyt.simplecastaudio.com/03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a/episodes/0891bcf3-2201-4478-9f57-ffee5b7a9bc4/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=03d8b493-87fc-4bd1-931f-8a8e9b945d8a&awEpisodeId=0891bcf3-2201-4478-9f57-ffee5b7a9bc4&feed=Sl5CSM3S","episodeUrl":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/after-losing-her-limbs-our-cooking-columnist-returns/id1200361736?i=1000779520677&uo=4","episodeContentRating":"Clean","episodeArtworkUrl":"https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts211/v4/ef/78/47/ef78474c-abd1-d9bc-873b-c8da1c8df7e4/mza_10975332850033463768.jpg/600x600bb.jpg","episodeGuid":"4d3e4e44-1621-44e1-8a4a-9074265611a1"}]				<episode duration (ms)>						2026-08-31T06:10:16.795Z

That table lists every available column. Episode descriptions are long, so a real row is easier to read as JSON:

{
  "query": "1200361736",
  "found": true,
  "status": "OK",
  "collectionId": 1200361736,
  "name": "The Daily",
  "publisher": "The New York Times",
  "genres": ["Daily News", "Podcasts", "News"],
  "episodeCount": 2698,
  "feedUrl": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/Sl5CSM3S",
  "explicitness": "notExplicit",
  "latestReleaseDate": "2026-08-21T09:52:00Z",
  "storeUrl": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736",
  "country": "USA",
  "episodes": [
    {
      "episodeTitle": "An Expert on Conflict Says Your Relationships Are Doomed Without It",
      "episodeReleaseDate": "2026-08-22T10:00:00Z",
      "episodeDurationMs": 2533000,
      "audioUrl": "https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/..."
    }
  ],
  "scrapedAt": "2026-08-23T21:04:47.132Z"
}

An ID that doesn't resolve still returns a row, and is never charged:

{
  "query": "0000000000",
  "found": false,
  "status": "NOT_FOUND",
  "message": "No podcast found for this Apple Podcasts collection ID.",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-08-23T21:04:47.132Z"
}

Miss rows are written so you can see exactly which IDs failed rather than diffing your input list against the output. Set onlyFound to drop them.

Use it from Clay, n8n, Make, or an AI agent

This actor runs synchronously over plain HTTP — call it directly from a script, a workflow tool, or an AI agent, no Apify Console needed once you have an API token.

curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~podcast-lookup/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_TOKEN>" \
  -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"items":["1200361736"]}'

n8n. Add an HTTP Request node: Method POST, URL https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~podcast-lookup/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_TOKEN>, Body Content Type JSON, JSON Body {"items":["1200361736"]} (swap in an expression from an earlier node for a real value).

Clay. Add an "HTTP API" column: Method POST, URL https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~podcast-lookup/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_TOKEN>, Body {"items":["{{podcast}}"]}, mapping the row's podcast into the items array.

MCP. In Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client with the Apify MCP server, ask for "Apple Podcasts Show and Episode Metadata API" — the agent will find and run this actor.

Tips

• Use latestReleaseDate to spot dead shows. A podcast with 800 episodes and nothing published in two years is an archive, not an active show.
• Turn on expandRows before exporting episodes to a spreadsheet. Nested episodes arrays are painful to flatten downstream; the actor does it better than a formula will.
• Use columns to drop episodeDescription on big runs. Show notes are by far the widest field and usually not what you're filtering on.
• Go to feedUrl when you need full history. The lookup returns a recent-episodes window, not every episode ever — the RSS feed is the complete record.
• Match on episodeGuid, not episode title. Titles get edited; GUIDs don't.

vs. alternatives

	What it costs	What you get	Trade-off
This actor (podcast-lookup)	$4 per 1,000 resolved shows (less on paid tiers), $0.00005 actor start, nothing for an ID that doesn't resolve	Show record plus recent episodes with audio URLs, one flat row per show or per episode, from Apple's own endpoint	Takes collection IDs, not show names — it won't search for you. Recent-episode window rather than full history.
logiover/apple-podcasts-episode-scraper (37 users)	$0.0025 per result, $0.00005 start	Episode-focused extraction, billed per episode	Cheaper per row if episodes are what you're counting. This bills per show, which is better when shows have many episodes.
taroyamada/apple-podcast-scraper (24 users)	$0.01 per result, $0.005 start	A general Apple Podcasts scraper	Roughly two and a half times the per-row price here, for a broadly similar job.
Parsing the RSS feed yourself	Your time + one HTTP fetch and an XML parser per show	Full episode history, deeper than this returns	If you need every episode ever published, the feed is the right source — and this actor hands you its URL. This is for when you want the show record and recent episodes without building that.

(logiover's and taroyamada's prices above are their published August 2026 list prices — check their own pages before relying on a straight comparison.)

FAQ

Where do I find a collection ID? It's the number after /id in any Apple Podcasts URL — podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736 gives you 1200361736.

Can I search by show name instead? No. This is an ID-keyed lookup by design, so every input maps to exactly one row. Name search returns ranked guesses, which is a different shape.

Do I need an Apple API key? No. The iTunes lookup endpoint is public and unauthenticated.

How many episodes come back per show? A recent window rather than the complete history. episodeCount tells you the true total, and feedUrl is the door to the rest if you need it.

What counts as "not found"? An ID that's invalid, delisted, or belongs to something that isn't a podcast. All return found: false with a message explaining which, and are never charged.

Does it work outside the US store? Yes. country on each row tells you which storefront the record came from.

Can an agent run this on its own? Yes. It's registered with the Apify MCP server, so a Claude or Cursor agent with that MCP connected can find "Podcast Lookup" and pull dataset rows back without any integration code.

Related actors

• Apple App Store Lookup — iOS app metadata and reviews, using the same iTunes infrastructure.
• Telegram Channel Lookup — channel profile and subscriber counts by handle.
• Substack Publication Lookup — publication profile and recent posts by subdomain.