Spotify announced on Wednesday that it is widening audiobook access to more than 180 markets around the world, covering regions in Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. The rollout begins today and will proceed over the next several months.
Through this expansion, over 750 million users will gain access to audiobooks, enabling Spotify to compete more effectively with both music streaming services and dedicated audiobook apps such as Audible.
Previously, audiobooks were primarily accessible in English-speaking regions including the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, along with Germany.
The audio platform stated it holds more than 350,000 titles for its new markets and has expanded its collection to encompass over 120 languages. With the launch in Spain, users there will gain access to over 45,000 titles in Spanish.
Spotify is partnering with more than 300 publishers globally, including Planeta and Mondadori, to boost the number of titles available across different markets.
With a Premium subscription, users can listen to 12 hours of audiobooks in eligible countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Poland, Chile, Norway, and Peru. Listeners worldwide can also buy an Audiobook+ standalone subscription for a 15-hour allowance. Alternatively, individual titles can be purchased directly.
Spotify is also introducing an Audiobook+ add-on for student plans in select regions this November. The company noted that since launching last year, Audiobook+ has acquired over 1 million subscribers and generated over $100 million in annual recurring revenue.
In February, the company debuted a Page Match feature, which allows users to scan a page of a physical book and locate the corresponding point in the audiobook to listen. Since its launch, 1 million people have been using the feature monthly, the company said.
Spotify reported that over the past year, monthly audiobook listeners grew by 40% and listening hours rose by 30%.
This year, the company introduced Audiobook Charts to help users discover popular titles. It also launched an AI-powered tool for authors to convert their books into audiobooks using models from ElevenLabs. Additionally, Spotify began testing physical book sales through its audiobook platform in select markets like the U.S. and the U.K.