Amazon Audible Adds 100,000 Free Podcast Series to Rival Apple Podcasts, Spotify

Amazon’s audiobook platform Audible has added over 100,000 podcasts series, comprising roughly 3 million episodes that are free to access via an Amazon account. The new podcast series that includes Pod Save America, This American Life, and Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend are available on the Audible app for Android and iOS as well as on Audible podcast landing page and via limited Alexa-powered devices. With the addition of the new series, Amazon will hope to give stiff competition to Apple and Spotify that dominates the podcast segment with Apple Podcasts and Spotify player, respectively. In addition to podcast series, Amazon Audible provides a variety to audiobooks that users can listen to with an Amazon account but may require Audible Plus subscription for full access.

Amazon Audible is also adding a dedicated section that contains both third-party and Amazon Original podcast series. The company says that the platform would add more podcasts in the coming weeks and months. At the moment, it is unclear whether the new podcast series available on Audible would also come to Amazon Music that has its own podcast section. Amazon Music currently offers roughly 70,000 podcast shows. The availability of over 100,000 free podcast series on Amazon Audible will bolster the company’s mission to tap into the growing podcast segment; however, it’s still got a long way to go. According to The Verge, Spotify offers over a million podcast series while Apple Podcasts has over 1.5 million shows.

Earlier in August, Amazon introduced the Audible Plus subscription that offers unlimited listening to limited audiobooks, original shows, and podcasts on Audible. The baseline Audible Plus price starts at $7.95 (approx Rs. 600) per month while the Audible Premium Plus cost $14.95 (approx Rs. 1,100). The Audible Premium Plus plan includes one credit per month for any premium selection title. On the other hand, Apple Podcasts and Spotify offer all exclusive podcasts for free, but users would be required to log in to the platform in order to access them. To download podcasts for offline listening, Apple Podcasts does not require any subscription while Spotify users will need a premium package.