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Spotify finally brings its Audiobooks service to more countries

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By Cosmin Vasile

Published: Oct 16, 2024, 3:47 AM

Wireless service

Spotify Audiobooks | Screenshots credit: Spotify

When Spotify launched Audiobooks last year, the Premium service was only available in several countries, including the United States, Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

Thankfully, the streaming service company decided that it’s time to expand the availability of Audiobooks to more countries. The decision is probably based on the fact that Spotify Audiobooks gained enough traction among customers to warrant a worldwide rollout.

That said, if you’re looking for an audiobooks-centric service and don’t live in any of the countries mentioned above, you might be in luck. Spotify has just announced that potential customers in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands will now have access to audiobooks.

With the exception of France, all the countries getting Spotify’s Audiobooks service are part of Benelux, a politico-economic union formed back in 1944. Truth be told, I’m surprised that Spotify didn’t bring its audiobooks service to more Western European countries, and specifically chose these four where the main spoken language is Dutch (nearly 80 percent).

On that note, Spotify’s Managing Director, Antoine Monin says that his company is “proud to spotlight this region’s rich literary tradition, with 15,000 French and 15,000 Dutch and Flemish titles.”

Spotify Audiobooks | Screenshots credit: Spotify

Since its launch over a year ago, Spotify has seen an increase in user engagement among listeners who started an audiobook for the first time. For example, US customers spent an average of five additional hours on Spotify over their first two months after starting a book.

Another interesting piece of information revealed by Spotify is that 28 percent of its users are located in Europe. Although it’s probably nowhere nearly close to the number of users in the United States, the launch of its audiobooks service is a good opportunity for Spotify to increase its market share in Europe.

Now, Spotify revealed that it’s offering each Premium individual subscriber, as well as plan managers for Family and Duo accounts, 12 hours of listening per month in these new markets.

Simply choose any book marked “Included in Premium” to start listening. After using their 12 hours before their monthly billing cycle refreshes, customers in Europe can purchase a 10-hour top-up for €9.99, which seems pretty expensive if you ask me.

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Cosmin, a tech journalist with a career spanning over a decade, brought a wealth of experience to PhoneArena. His expertise lies in brands like Samsung and Nokia, and he has a keen interest in innovative technologies. After a brief stint in PR, Cosmin returned to tech journalism in 2016, committed to delivering clear and objective news. When he's not writing or appearing as a guest on TV and radio shows, Cosmin enjoys playing RPGs, watching Netflix, and nurturing his passion for history and travel.