Spotify announces new audiobook offer in France
The move is the company’s first non-English-speaking offer in Europe
Spotify premium subscribers can access 12 hours of audiobook listening as part of their package
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People in France now have access to 15,000 French-language audiobooks on music streaming platform Spotify, after the company announced its first non-English-speaking offer in Europe.
The offer, announced by the Swedish company on October 14, includes some major French publishing groups, and is also available in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Spotify will now offer 15,000 titles in French. It also has 15,000 in Dutch.
Major French publishing groups Hachette Livre (via its Audiolib subsidiary), Editis (Lizzie) and Madrigall will supply books for the platform.
Audiobooks as well as music and podcasts
Amazon Audible, Storytel, and Nextory are Spotify’s main competitors in France with regards to audiobook services. Yet, Spotify hopes to stand out from the crowd because audiobooks are just one type of audio offered for premium subscribers.
People who pay just over €11 per month as part of a premium subscription can access 12 hours of audiobook listening as part of this package, as well as unlimited music and podcasts. Subscribers can buy more hours for audiobook listening to add on to their package if they wish.
Spotify states that existing premium subscribers listen to an average of five hours of audiobooks per month.
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“I think the market in France has yet to even grasp its full potential,” said David Kaefer, head of Spotify's audiobook division, at a press conference in Paris.
Digital distribution director of publisher Madrigall, Éric Marbeau, said that he particularly liked that Spotify offers listening by hours, rather than by number of tracks.
“With hours included in the subscription, we will be able to explore the catalogues a little more, and we think that this will help us to make better use of our collections,” he said.
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French Canada shows encouraging signs
Spotify already offers French audiobook listening in French-speaking Canada, and its French-language listener base there has grown significantly since the audiobook listening launched in April, it said in a press release.
"This trend should continue with the arrival of the service in France and other Western European countries,” the company said.
