It seems like Amazon wants to take on Spotify in the podcast category. Because, as per new developments, Amazon has added thousands of free podcasts to its Audible app to turn it into a true podcast app.
These steps also give us more clarity about Amazon’s vision of turning Audible into a proper destination for podcasts. The free podcasts are already available on other streaming platforms.
Moreover, the free podcasts added to Audible includes Pod Save America, This American Life, and Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. All the newly added podcasts will soon show up on the Audible landing page.
Audible is primarily known for its audiobook contents. Besides, the category also expands over to more dramatized audio content as well.
Recently, the company has ventured into the podcast category in the Audible app. In fact, it has added several original shows to its podcast category.
Video streaming platforms are jam-packed, and it is very little or no room for a new player to survive. Apparently, original shows have already strengthened the place of already established players in the video streaming platform.
And now, Amazon wants to take over the likes of Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other competitors. Audible launched its own Audible Plus subscription plan that gives listeners access to original Audible content.
By adding thousands of free podcasts, Audible is bulking up its podcast offerings
The monthly expense of the Audible Plus subscription comes at a much cheaper cost. And you get access to Audible’s original audio content.
However, there is a catch. Users do not get credit to download new audiobooks that aren’t free in Audible’s catalog of podcasts. But that seems to be taken care of by the addition of new free podcasts.
Moreover, Amazon is really bulking up its Audible podcast offerings by including thousands of free podcasts. Listeners will also get a wide variety of podcasts to listen to.
This is a good start by Amazon to fill up the Audible app’s arsenal with thousands of free podcasts. Though this does not mean it is now at par with the likes of Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Spotify and Apple Podcasts are major players in this segment. To give you some numbers, the Spotify app boasts a catalog of at least a million podcasts, which is available to the users.
On the other hand, Apple Podcasts has around 1.5 million podcasts that the listeners can listen to. Audible app’s original content numbers total up to around 11,000, which is way less than its counterparts. But this is a start and Amazon will continue growing its list of podcasts in the coming future.