Spotify lowered the eligibility criteria for podcasters to monetize videos on the platform, dropping the minimum episode requirement to three, the minimum hours of consumption to 2,000, and the limit of audience members joining 1,000 in the last 30 days.
When the company introduced its partner program to monetize video content last yearcreators must publish 12 episodes, reach 10,000 hours of consumption in the previous 30 days, and at least 2,000 people post content in the last 30 days to be part of the program.
The program pays podcasters according to the number of premium users who watch videos on Spotify, as well as a share of the advertising revenue obtained from users on the free level.
The company is also introducing a new sponsorship tool that will allow creators to update, schedule, and measure sponsorship spots read by hosts in video ads. The tool will come to the Spotify for Creators app, and Megaphone, the company’s podcast hosting and monetization suite, in April.
Following its video strategy to better compete with YouTube, Spotify is now launching a new API that allows creators to use their existing platform to publish and monetize video podcasts on Spotify. At launch, tools like Acast, Audioboom, Libsyn, Omny, and Podigee already use this API, the company said.
The new move comes as Spotify has been looking for new ways to attract users and build streaming subscription revenue. The company said that since the launch of the partner program, the consumption of video podcasts in the app has almost doubled, and that the average Spotify user streams podcasts twice as many videos per month as before the launch of this program.
But this could just be the result of streaming services having more video content.
Techcrunch event
San Francisco
|
13-15 October 2026
The company also opened a studio for recording podcasts and videos in West Hollywood. Spotify says the studio will be the base for its Ringer podcast network, and will open the studio to select creators from its partner program. The company already has studios in art districts in LA, New York, Stockholm, and London.