Spotify expands audiobooks to more than 180 markets

Spotify announced on Wednesday that it is expanding its audiobook service to more than 180 markets across Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

The rollout begins Wednesday and will continue over the next several months, giving more than 750 million users access to audiobooks.

Audiobooks had previously been available mainly in English-speaking markets, including the US, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, as well as Germany.

Spotify said its catalogue for the expanded markets includes more than 350,000 titles, while its overall audiobook collection now spans more than 120 languages.

In Spain, users will have access to more than 45,000 Spanish-language titles. Spotify is working with more than 300 publishers globally, including Planeta and Mondadori, to expand its catalogue across markets.

Premium subscribers in eligible countries, including Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Poland, Chile, Norway and Peru, can listen to up to 12 hours of audiobooks. Users can also purchase an Audiobook+ subscription, which provides 15 hours of listening, or buy individual titles.

Spotify said it plans to introduce an Audiobook+ add-on for student plans in select regions in November. Since its launch last year, Audiobook+ has attracted more than 1 million subscribers and generated over $100 million in annual recurring revenue, the company said.

Audiobook consumption on Spotify has also grown, with monthly listeners rising 40% and hours listened increasing 30% over the past year. Its Page Match feature, launched in February, allows users to scan a page from a physical book and jump to the corresponding point in the audiobook. Spotify said 1 million people use the feature each month.

The company has also introduced Audiobook Charts, an AI-powered audiobook creation tool using ElevenLabs models, and is experimenting with selling physical books in markets including the US and UK.