The company promises to add even more exclusive content in the coming weeks, including a podcast made with Pushkin Industries and other starring celebrities such as Alicia Silverstone, Michael Caine, and Josh Gad.
For those who already subscribe to Audible’s Gold or Platinum plans, these will be merged into a new plan called “Audible Premium Plus.” For the price of $14.95 per month, it will offer access to the complete Audible catalog with credits to obtain audiobooks that are not available in Audible Plus.
As reported by The Verge, Audible Plus is completely ad-free, and even its original podcasts will have no advertisements. Rachel Ghiazza, head of content at Audible, said the company is committed to providing original, personally curated content to its subscribers.
Audible Plus will be available as a beta preview starting August 27, while Audible Premium Plus subscribers can already access the Audible Plus library starting today.
What makes us distinct or different is really our focus on expertly curated content, and then also that high quality and that bar of narrative storytelling — that stuff with a beginning, middle, and end.
It’s interesting to note how the audio content market is becoming increasingly disputed. While Apple Podcasts still leads the market share of podcast players, Spotify has been taking the lead in some regions and now other companies are investing to join the competition. Spotify, in particular, is investing in original podcasts in an attempt to become a centralized place for all audio content.
Meanwhile, rumors indicate that Apple is also working to boost its podcast platform with exclusive content, which includes podcasts with the stars of Apple TV+ shows. However, it’s unclear if Apple plans to introduce these original podcasts as free content or if the company wants to launch a paid platform like Audible’s.
