Spotify pays out over $100m to podcasters in Q1 2025 amid video push

The streaming giant detailed the milestone in a new press release, highlighting the rise of video podcasts in the very first paragraph. The pay-out includes both advertising revenue and income from the Spotify Partner Programme, which shares subscription earnings with podcasters when paid users view their video content.

While all eligible podcasts benefit from ad-based revenue, the Partner Programme has become a key pillar in Spotify’s video strategy. The company reported a 23% increase in Partner Programme earnings between January and February 2025, followed by a 29% rise from February to March. It also noted a 28% increase in active monthly video podcasts since the programme’s January launch.

Several shows have seen sharp audience growth under the initiative. Your Mom’s House with Christina P. and Tom Segura, for instance, experienced a 45% increase in weekly consumption after joining the programme.

Spotify’s push into video comes as YouTube maintains a commanding lead in the podcast space, particularly in video content. Recent data from Edison Research shows that YouTube captures around one-third of all weekly podcast listeners in the US, the highest share of any platform. Globally, YouTube claims over 1 billion monthly viewers of podcast content as of January.

The shift towards video podcasts is also being felt across the wider media landscape. Traditional late-night TV has seen steep ratings declines, exacerbated by the rise of streaming competitors. Netflix, for example, is reportedly expanding further into the video podcast arena, following the launch of Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney.

Spotify’s current focus on video, audiobooks, and educational content marks a strategic pivot from its previous acquisition-heavy model. While this approach offers growing opportunities for podcasters, critics argue it comes at the expense of musicians, whose earnings have long been a contentious issue on the platform.

Whether Spotify can narrow the gap with YouTube remains to be seen, but its latest figures suggest it’s more serious than ever about claiming a larger share of the podcasting pie.