Spotify has today announced that audiobooks are rolling out in Kenya, giving eligible Spotify Free and Premium users a new way to discover and enjoy books by their favourite authors, alongside the music and podcasts they already love on the platform. The launch forms part of Spotify’s global expansion of audiobooks from 22 markets to more than 180 by the end of 2026, bringing a catalogue of more than 350,000 titles to more than 750 million people who will be able to stream or
purchase them on Spotify.
From the morning commute along Thika Road to a lunch break or the final moments before bed,
audiobooks offer another way to make the time people already have feel better spent. With 15 hours of
audiobook listening each month for KES 489, equivalent to around 30 minutes a day, Audiobooks+ makes it easier for listeners to fit stories into their everyday routines without having to find extra hours in the day. Listeners can buy a 10 -hour top-up for KES 589, or buy an individual title to keep.
“Books change how we see the world, and the people in it. For a lot of people, audiobooks are how they
find their way back to reading, on the commute, on a walk, or at the end of a long day. Bringing
audiobooks to more than 180 markets means millions more people can discover that, and authors and
publishers can reach readers they’ve never been able to reach before,” said Owen Smith, VP of
Audiobooks, Spotify.
Features made for everyday listening:
● Page Match: Read a few chapters in bed, then pick up the story on your morning commute, right
where you left off. More than one million readers have used Page Match to move between print,
ebook and audio. Now listeners can simply scan a book’s ISBN barcode and use page numbers to
find their place. Page Match works in over 30 languages.
● A home for books: A dedicated Audiobooks space in the app to search, browse and discover, with
recommendations based on what each listener loves across music, podcasts and books.
● Never lose your place: Spotify saves your progress across the more than 2,000 devices it’s
available on, so you can start on your phone and carry on in the car or on a speaker.
● Sleep Timer: Set a timer for night-time listening so the story stops when you drift off.
● Listen offline: Download audiobooks to listen without a connection, just like music and podcasts.
A bigger stage for Kenyan authors
Spotify believes authors should find the largest possible audience, which is why all of its audiobook
partnerships are non-exclusive. Through Spotify for Authors, local publishers and self-published authors in Kenya can upload their audiobooks and reach listeners in more than 180 markets, with insights into who is listening. The catalogue in Kenya will keep growing as new partners join and local authors upload their work.
