Spotify are bringing Audiobooks as a Premium bonus to more of Europe
Five more countries in Europe can now access free Audiobook listening hours on over 300,000 books as a Spotify Premium benefit.
Spotify are expanding the benefits that Premium subscribers get across Europe. They have introduced 12 hours of audiobook listening each month for Premium subscribers across 5 countries in Europe.
Premium subscribers in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Monaco can now start listening to more than 300,000 audiobooks at no extra cost. The 12 hours of free audiobook listening is in addition to unlimited music and podcast streaming.
Spotify explains: “The Nordics are home to some of the world’s most passionate audiobook listeners and some of Spotify’s most engaged communities. With Audiobooks in Premium now available in these countries, we’re opening new doors for both lcoal and international authors and publishers to reach more listeners than ever before.”
They report that audiobooks listeners are up 36% year-over-year in English-language markets, led by young listeners as 52% of audiobook listeners are aged between 18 and 34. Total listening hours in those markets are up 37%.
How audiobooks on Spotify have expanded
Spotify added free audiobook listening as a Premium benefit in October 2023 in the UK and Australia. They have since expanded the feature across many more territories, including the U.S., France, Belgium, Germany, and many more European countries.
The available listening hours vary between territories. Some territories, like Australia, Canada, the U.S., and U.K. have access to 15 hours of audiobook listening each month. Premium subscribers can buy 10 hours one-off top-ups to gain more listening time without buying individual audiobooks.
Spotify also offer Audiobooks+, a recurring monthly add-on providing additional listening hours. Plan managers can user Audiobooks+ to provide access to other users on their Family and Duo plans.
Spotify recently added a beta for audiobook recaps on English-language title. The feature provides a short and personalised summary for up to the point where users last listened to, allowing them to refresh their memory and dive straight back in.