Spotify has confirmed a north of $100 million global podcast payout for Q1 2025. Photo Credit: Reet Talreja
Spotify disclosed its worldwide first-quarter podcasts payout today, dedicating a relatively substantial 630 or so words to the appropriate release. As many know, video is now front and center in the battle for podcasting dominance – a reality that has (among other things) enabled the mentioned YouTube to take the lead.
(One of the other things: Late-night television’s abysmal ratings, which, besides stemming from the video-podcast explosion, definitely aren’t being helped by new competitors like Netflix’s Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney. Incidentally, Netflix isn’t stopping there, with reports suggesting an imminent buildout into video podcasts proper.)
Consequently, Spotify didn’t hesitate to emphasize “the rise of video podcasts” in the very first paragraph. The service went on to acknowledge that the north of $100 million Q1 2025 payout “encompasses both ad-based revenue and revenue generated through the Spotify Partner Program,” however.
The former revenue reaches all eligible podcasts regardless of format. But the expanding Partner Program centers in large part on cutting podcasters in on subscription revenue when paid users watch their video uploads, we broke down at 2025’s start.
Furthermore, the service (which is also zeroing in on audiobooks, lessons, and television shows) identified a 28% jump in “active monthly video podcasts…since the program launched” in January.
Driving home the point, Spotify rattled off double-digit consumption boosts for individual podcasts like Your Mom’s House with Christina P. and Tom Segura, which is said to have seen its “weekly consumption” increase “more than 45%” since enrolling in the Partner Program.
That doesn’t exactly come as a surprise given Spotify’s sizable userbase. And from a business perspective, the current approach to non-music entertainment (though one component of an increasingly raw deal for musicians) makes a lot more sense than Spotify’s acquisition-obsessed strategy of old.
Only time will reveal the answer to that multifaceted question – though at present, YouTube, having underscored its strong viewership on TVs in particular, continues to rule the video-podcasting race.
According to a recent update from Edison, YouTube accounts for one-third of weekly podcast listeners in the U.S., the most of any single platform. Globally, YouTube previously said it boasted “more than 1 billion monthly active viewers of podcast content” as of January.
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Spotify Podcasts Payout Hit $100M in Q1 2025, Company Says – Digital Music News
