Spotify is expanding its audiobook service to more than 180 markets worldwide, extending access across Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The rollout begins this week and will continue across the coming months, potentially making audiobooks available to more than 750 million users.
The expansion significantly broadens Spotify’s audiobook footprint beyond markets where the service was previously concentrated, including the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Germany. The company said its expanded catalogue includes more than 350,000 titles in over 120 languages, with availability varying by market.
In Spain, for example, Spotify users will gain access to more than 45,000 Spanish-language titles. The company is working with more than 300 publishers globally, including Planeta and Mondadori, to expand its catalogue and make more locally relevant content available.
Spotify said eligible Premium subscribers in selected markets will receive 12 hours of audiobook listening each month. Users can also access the standalone Audiobooks+ subscription, which provides a 15-hour monthly allowance, while individual audiobook purchases will remain available in supported markets. An Audiobooks+ option for student plans is also expected to launch in selected regions in November.
The company said Audiobooks+ has attracted more than 1 million subscribers since its launch last year and generated more than $100 million in annual recurring revenue. Spotify also reported that monthly audiobook listeners increased 40% over the past year, while listening hours rose 30%.
The expansion comes as Spotify continues to develop its audiobook business alongside its core music and podcast offerings. Earlier this year, the company introduced Audiobook Charts to help users discover popular titles and launched an AI-powered tool, using technology from ElevenLabs, to help authors create audiobook versions of their books.
Spotify has also continued to connect physical and digital reading through its Page Match feature, which allows users to scan a page from a physical book and find the corresponding point in an audiobook. The company said the feature is now being used by about 1 million people each month.
By expanding into more than 180 markets, Spotify is positioning audiobooks as a larger part of its global audio platform while giving publishers and authors access to audiences in regions where audiobook availability has traditionally been more limited.
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