YouTube Premium May Add Audiobooks to Subscription, Report Says

YouTube is reportedly in talks with publishers to bring audiobooks to its platform as part of its Premium subscription. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, the feature could be officially announced next year. However, Google has not yet commented on the reported plans.

If introduced, the move could expand YouTube Premium’s benefits by offering subscribers access to audiobooks alongside its existing ad-free viewing features.

YouTube May Bundle Audiobooks with Premium

Google already offers audiobooks through the Google Play Store, where the service has been available since 2018. However, users must purchase individual books, as the platform does not offer an audiobook subscription.

YouTube is reportedly considering a different approach by including audiobook listening with its ad-free Premium plan. This could give subscribers another reason to choose Premium over the more affordable Premium Lite plan.

The reported addition could also help strengthen the value proposition of YouTube Premium following recent subscription price increases.

YouTube Music Already Supports Podcasts

Google introduced podcast support on YouTube Music in 2023. Premium subscribers can listen to podcasts online or offline without advertisements.

Premium Lite offers a more limited set of benefits. Although it excludes music-related Premium features, it retains ad-free playback for podcasts.

Adding audiobooks could further expand the range of audio content available through Google’s services, although the company has not confirmed whether the feature will arrive or how it would work.

YouTube Could Compete More Directly with Spotify

The reported plan could put YouTube in more direct competition with Spotify, which already offers audiobooks through its Premium subscription and a separate audiobook-only tier.

Spotify expanded its audiobook service to more than 180 markets earlier this year, according to the report cited in the original article.

The streaming platform also offers a feature called Page Match. It allows users to take a photo of a page in a physical book and find the corresponding point in its audiobook, making it easier to switch between reading and listening.

YouTube’s potential entry into the audiobook subscription market could give users another option for accessing audio content through an existing streaming subscription.

For now, the reported audiobook offering remains unconfirmed, and details about its availability, catalogue and subscription requirements are not known.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is YouTube planning to add audiobooks to Premium?

According to The Wall Street Journal, YouTube is in talks with publishers about adding audiobooks to its service. Google has not officially confirmed the plan.

2. When could YouTube announce its audiobook service?

The report suggests that an announcement could come next year, although no official date has been confirmed.

3. Will audiobooks be included in YouTube Premium?

The reported plan is to bundle audiobook listening with the ad-free Premium subscription. The final terms have not been announced.

4. Does Google already offer audiobooks?

Yes. Audiobooks have been available on the Google Play Store since 2018, but users must purchase individual titles rather than access them through a subscription.

5. Will YouTube Premium Lite include audiobooks?

There is no confirmed information about audiobook access through Premium Lite. The reported plan specifically refers to YouTube’s ad-free Premium subscription.

6. How does Spotify offer audiobooks?

Spotify includes audiobooks with its Premium plan and also offers an audiobook-only subscription tier. Its Page Match feature helps users switch between physical books and audiobooks.

7. Has Google confirmed the new YouTube audiobook feature?

No. Google has not officially commented on the reported plans.