Spotify working on subscription podcast service: Report

SAN FRANCISCO:Swedish music streaming service Spotify is planning to launch a subscription podcast service that would offer access to original and exclusive episodes for a monthly fee.

The company has started sending out surveys asking people for their thoughts on a possible podcast-focused Spotify premium subscription offering, reports The Verge.

The survey, spotted by Andrew Wallenstein of Variety's Intelligence Platform, indicates Spotify is considering four subscription podcast plans, ranging in price from $3 to $8 per month.

"The most expensive plan would feature exclusive content, early access to some episodes, and no ads," the report added.

"At Spotify, we routinely conduct a number of surveys in an effort to improve our user experience. Some of those end up paving the path for our broader user experience and others serve only as important learnings," the report quoted a company's spokesperson as saying.

"We have no further news to share on future plans at this time".

Spotify is steadily building up a massive podcast audience.

The company recently acquired several major podcast producers, including Gimlet, Parcast, and The Ringer and signed exclusive podcast deals with Michelle Obama, Kim Kardashian West and Joe Rogan.

The audio streaming service now has 320 million monthly active users (MAUs), a 29 per cent increase (year-on-year).

The company said it now has 144 million Premium subscribers globally, up 27 per cent from the same period last year.