{
  "id": 12570020,
  "title": "The Next Chapter of Spotify’s Audiobooks Speaks Volumes About Where the Streamer Is Heading",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/the-next-chapter-of-spotifys-audiobooks-speaks-volumes-about-where",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-07T07:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Billboard",
    "slug": "billboard",
    "url": "https://www.billboard.com/pro/spotify-audiobooks-service-expand-180-countries-2026/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Spotify is set to dramatically increase its reach in the audiobook market, aiming to convert a portion of its 750 million monthly active users, totaling 180 countries, into audiobook enthusiasts by the end of 2026. The company started offering audiobooks to premium subscribers in the U.S. and the U.K. three years ago, and has since expanded to 22 markets. Adoption has been swift, with listening hours climbing 60% from 2024 to 2025. In mid-2025, Spotify introduced Audiobooks+, an $11.99 monthly subscription for premium users who want to double their allotted listening time from 15 to 30 hours per month. As of July, Spotify reported over 1 million subscribers for Audiobooks+, generating an estimated $100 million in annual recurring revenue. Spotify's co-CEO Alex Norström highlighted that these subscribers are highly valuable, with some even paying for additional streaming time. To attract more users, particularly younger readers (half of audiobook listeners are under 35), Spotify will be expanding its program to more markets and languages. The company also partnered with Bookshop.org, enabling subscribers to buy physical books, and introduced a Page Match feature that allows users to seamlessly transition from print to digital audiobooks at the exact page they left off. This feature has been particularly popular among younger users, who read books twice as fast using Page Match. Spotify's global head of books, Owen Smith, emphasized that creating healthy reading habits and driving high-value user behavior is key to Spotify's strategy. The company also shares audiobook consumption data and marketing insights with authors and publishers through Spotify for Authors and has invested in Spotify Audiobooks Selects, a platform offering independent authors the tools to create professional-grade audiobooks, including an AI voice-over tool.",
  "summary": "Spotify executives have described audiobook streamers as \"very valuable users,\" and now they're rolling it out to customers worldwide.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}