By Jess Jones
Spotify has inked deals with major publishers to bring audiobooks into its ever-expanding audio empire.
Starting today, paying subscribers in the UK and Australia can listen to 15 hours of audiobooks on the Swedish streaming platform at no extra cost. Plans for a US launch are close by in the pipeline.
Spotify users can pay an extra $11 (£9) a month for extra listening time.
With 220m subscribers as of the second quarter of 2023, a 17 per cent increase year-on-year, Spotify is hoping it can attract and retain even more paying users with the new offering.
The new feature may present a threat to Audible, launched back in 1995, although Enders analyst Abi Watson said the Amazon audiobook platform is “easily the dominant player in the space”.
She added the move is likely to be welcomed by book publishers as it introduces healthy competition in the audiobook realm.
An Audible subscription starts at £7.99 per month.
Spotify’s recent push into podcasting has been less successful than the streamer may have hoped, leading them to pull the reins back in this department.
