There are a couple (imo, "real") podcasts I subscribe to and pay for, but I pay the creators directly and they generally self-host the files.
Any other business model is just a network-exclusive TV or radio show, not a podcast.
They're time-shifted audio shows sure, but not podcasts.
Or maybe podcasts have just evolved again, and now it's reincarnation is into streaming platforms and clubhouse rooms.
[1] This is where the word was invented, according to the Wikipedia: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/feb/12/broadcasting.d...
To be fair, this effect was limited at the time to "podcasts" released by relatively wealthy people mostly in New York, among whom not using Apple products was basically unheard of. Spotify seems to be taking this mainstream, but I think the problem started before they got into the podcast business.
That's where the money is. Spotify isn't a tech company, it's a radio station that exists to sell subscriptions plus ads.