Spotify has announced a major expansion of its podcast business, underlining its continued commitment to creators and the wider industry.
It comes as podcasting receives formal recognition at the Golden Globes for the first time this Sunday, 11 January.
The company is expanding the Spotify Partner Program with new video sponsorship tools, by opening a new creator studio in Los Angeles, and co-hosting Golden Week Nominee Night in West Hollywood, as podcasting takes a more prominent place in mainstream entertainment this year.
Spotify says its investment across the podcast ecosystem has now contributed more than $10 billion to the industry over the past five years, driven by creator monetisation, audience engagement at scale, and infrastructure supporting publishers and independent creators both on and off the platform.
The Spotify Partner Program, launched last year, is being updated to expand access and reduce barriers, with creators now able to apply with 1,000 engaged audience members, 2,000 hours of consumption in the past 30 days, and three published episodes.
New video sponsorship tools will roll out in April across Spotify for Creators and Megaphone, giving creators greater control to update, schedule, and measure host-read sponsorships within video episodes across platforms.
Spotify is also introducing a new distribution API for video, allowing creators to publish and monetise video podcasts on Spotify directly from participating hosting platforms, including Acast, Audioboom, Libsyn, Omny and Podigee, without changing workflows.
The company reports that monthly video podcast consumption on Spotify has nearly doubled since the Partner Program launched, while average users now stream twice as many video shows each month than before.
Alongside product updates, Spotify is opening Spotify Sycamore Studios in West Hollywood, a new production hub that will become the home of The Ringer podcasts and be available by invitation to selected Partner Program creators.
The move expands Spotify’s global network of creator studios across Los Angeles, New York, Stockholm and London, reinforcing its long-term strategy to support podcasting as it reaches new levels of cultural recognition.
