Spotify brings audiobooks to more than 180 markets

Spotify announced on Wednesday that it is expanding its audiobook service to more than 180 markets worldwide. The rollout begins immediately and will continue over the coming months across Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. The expansion gives more than 750 million users access to audiobooks as Spotify competes against music streaming services and platforms like Audible.

Audiobooks were previously limited mainly to Germany and English-speaking countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. The catalog now offers over 350,000 titles in more than 120 languages, supported by partnerships with over 300 publishers worldwide, including Planeta and Mondadori. A launch in Spain introduces more than 45,000 titles in Spanish.

Under the model, Premium subscribers in eligible markets such as Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Poland, and Norway receive 12 hours of listening. Listeners globally can also buy individual titles or subscribe to a standalone Audiobook+ plan with a 15-hour allowance. The standalone tier has reached over 1 million subscribers and generated more than 100 million in annual recurring revenue since launching last year. Spotify plans to offer an Audiobook+ add-on for student plans in select regions in November.

Over the past year, Spotify reported a 40% rise in monthly audiobook listeners and a 30% increase in listening hours. The platform has also added Audiobook Charts, an AI creation tool using ElevenLabs models, and physical book sales tests in the United States and the United Kingdom. Its Page Match scanning feature, launched in February, now counts 1 million monthly users.