#Spotify podcasts not playing 2021 free#

(Spotify said the same when asked to comment on the news at the time.) ArK8xYg0CMĪ survey, of course, is only meant to gauge consumer demand for such a subscription, and doesn’t indicate that Spotify has a new product in the works. Looks like the premium podcast plan would be ad-free and some mix of exclusive extra content at price points somewhere between $3-$8. This is still a key focus for the company - Spotify even recently acquired a podcast hosting and monetization platform, Megaphone, to help make streaming ad insertion technology available to its third-party publishers while also growing its targetable podcast inventory.

#Spotify podcasts not playing 2021 free#

Today, podcasts on Spotify’s platform are available to both free and paid users and are monetized with ads.

Podcast consumption is also increasing, with listening hours having nearly doubled year-over-year in the fourth quarter. The company revealed during earnings its podcast catalog has grown to now 2.2 million programs, said it’s seen increasing demand for the audio format in recent months.įor example, 25% of Spotify’s monthly active users now engage with podcasts, up from 22% just last quarter.

We understand Spotify’s plans for these expanded monetization models around podcasts could be introduced in some capacity later this month at its forthcoming “Stream On” livestream event. In the company’s fourth-quarter earnings, chief executive Daniel Ek suggested the streaming media company foresees a future where there will be multiple business models for podcasts, including, potentially, both ad-supported subscriptions and à la carte options. Spotify again signaled its interest in developing new ways to monetize its investments in podcasts.