Spotify is taking its audiobook business global, expanding access from 22 markets to more than 180 by the end of 2026, giving over 750 million people access to a catalog spanning more than 350,000 titles and 120 languages.
TL;DR
- Spotify will expand audiobooks from 22 markets to more than 180 by the end of 2026.
- Over 750 million people will gain access to more than 350,000 titles across 120+ languages.
- Access will vary between Premium listening hours, Audiobooks+ and direct purchases.
- Spotify is also expanding Page Match and bringing Audiobooks+ to select Student plans.
Spotify announced the expansion at the Frankfurt Book Fair, saying audiobook access will roll out across Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean, Middle East, Africa and Asia through the end of 2026.
According to Spotify’s official announcement, the expansion will make audiobooks available to more than 750 million people, with users in newly supported markets receiving access to over 350,000 titles. The catalog includes content in more than 120 languages, with expanded Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Polish offerings.
The company said all of its publisher partnerships are non-exclusive, allowing authors and publishers to continue distributing their work through other platforms.
“Bringing audiobooks to more than 180 markets means millions more people can discover that,” said Owen Smith, VP of Audiobooks at Spotify, adding that publishers and authors will also gain opportunities to reach new readers.
How Will Spotify Audiobooks Work In New Markets?
Spotify is using different access models depending on the country.
Eligible Premium subscribers in markets including Italy, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Poland, Chile, Norway and Peru will receive 12 hours of audiobook listening every month as part of their subscription.
Audiobooks+ will serve as the primary access model across markets in Africa and Asia, as well as Argentina. Users can also buy individual audiobook titles directly and keep access to them, although Spotify said pricing and availability will vary by market.
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TechCrunch reported that Spotify is working with more than 300 publishers worldwide as it builds out its international audiobook catalog. It also noted that Spain alone will receive access to more than 45,000 Spanish-language titles.
The expansion brings Spotify into more direct competition with dedicated audiobook services such as Audible, while allowing the company to place books alongside music and podcasts within the same app.
Spotify Expands Page Match And Audiobooks+
Spotify is also updating Page Match, its feature designed to let readers move between printed books, e-books and their audiobook versions.
Since launching in February, more than one million readers have used Page Match, according to Spotify. The feature now supports page numbers, allowing users to scan a book's ISBN barcode and locate the corresponding section of an audiobook, and works across more than 30 languages.
The Next Web also highlighted Spotify's plans to expand Audiobooks+ to Student subscribers in Ireland, Belgium, Austria and Finland beginning in November, with additional markets planned for the following year.
Spotify said Audiobooks+ has crossed one million subscribers and generated more than $100 million in annual recurring revenue just over a year after its launch. Meanwhile, monthly audiobook listeners on Spotify have grown nearly 40% over the past year, while listening hours increased more than 30%.
The figures give Spotify another reason to widen audiobook availability as it looks to turn books into a larger part of its broader audio platform.
