[Digital Today reporter Jae-won Choi] Spotify is significantly expanding its audiobooks service to more than 180 markets worldwide.

Spotify said on Tuesday that it will gradually expand the audiobooks service it currently offers in 22 markets, starting that day, to more than 180 markets by the end of 2026. The expansion covers Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, and includes South Korea. Once completed, more than 750 million people worldwide will be able to stream or purchase audiobooks on Spotify.

More than 350,000 titles will be available in the new markets. Supported languages will expand to more than 120, including Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Polish. In Spain, Spotify will offer more than 45,000 Spanish-language works alone. Spotify is working with more than 300 publishers, including Planeta and Mondadori.

How users access the service varies by country. Eligible premium subscribers in some markets, including Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Poland, Chile, Norway and Peru, will receive 12 hours per month as a basic benefit. Users who need additional listening time can use Audiobooks+, and individual title purchases are also supported. Pricing and how the service is provided vary by market.

Audiobooks+ surpassed 1 million subscribers in a little over a year after launch, and its annual recurring revenue (ARR) also exceeded $100 million (about 13.38 billion won). In November, Audiobooks+ will also be added to student plans in Ireland, Belgium, Austria and Finland.

Audiobook usage is also rising quickly. Over the past year, monthly listeners increased by about 40 percent and listening time rose by more than 30 percent. Page Match, which links a reader’s position between print books, e-books and audiobooks, has also been used by more than 1 million people since launch.