Spotify’s video podcast companion program is gaining traction with unbiased podcast creators drawn to its direct payouts — however main podcast networks stay hesitant, citing the shortage of dynamic advert assist for subscriber-only content material.
Spotify launched its Accomplice Program in January, giving creators their first alternative to share video content material, and obtain a lower of its advert and premium subscription income, on the beforehand audio-only platform. (Spotify has not publicly disclosed this proportion lower, however has supplied to share an estimate with any creator who asks.) Six months in, video podcasters largely fall into two camps: unbiased particular person creators embracing the format for its direct payouts and podcasters who’re a part of bigger networks — that are holding again, cautious that subscriber-only video might cannibalize their dynamic advert income.
The break up primarily comes all the way down to how a lot dynamic advert income podcasts generate from audio by way of instruments like Simplecast or Spotify’s Megaphone service. Though it is a important income stream for a lot of podcasters, the Spotify Accomplice Program (SPP) doesn’t enable for dynamic advertisements to be served to premium Spotify subscribers once they eat a video podcast. Creators who’re a part of podcast networks that don’t need to lose entry to this income stream are selecting to proceed sharing their podcasts as Spotify audio, slightly than video.
“After we’re importing an MP4, then we will’t put advertisements in there anymore — and Spotify’s saying, ‘oh, however we’re going to pay you for views,” mentioned Heather Osgood, the founding father of podcast illustration company True Native Media. “I’m an advert gross sales firm; I’m not a view gross sales firm, proper? So, that’s not tremendous useful to me.”
Causes to be cautious
Podcast networks’ wariness about sacrificing their dynamic advert income to choose into the Spotify Accomplice Program is an open secret inside the podcasting trade. Along with Osgood, 4 giant podcasters and podcast community executives confirmed to Digiday that they’ve intentionally chosen to not choose into the Accomplice Program to protect their dynamic advert income — however all requested anonymity to keep away from jeopardizing their relationships with Spotify.
“Spotify is a reasonably first rate chunk of podcast consumption, so letting go of that takes away the promoting alternative by 5 to 50 %, relying on lots of totally different traits,” mentioned one podcast govt who requested anonymity. “So, that may be a reasonably materials chunk of your promoting alternative.”
Though considerations over Spotify’s affect on advert monetization largely stem from podcast networks and podcast executives, slightly than particular person creators, the networks’ reluctance to choose in has a direct affect on particular person podcast creators’ approaches to video content material on Spotify.
A scan of the highest podcasts on YouTube reveals how main podcasters stay break up on whether or not to choose into Spotify’s video program, with that break up falling alongside podcast community traces. Of the highest 10 podcasts, 5 — The Joe Rogan Expertise, the MeidasTouch Podcast, the Shawn Ryan Present, Stephanie Soo’s Rotten Mango and This Previous Weekend with Theo Von — have joined the Spotify Accomplice Program to date. Of these 5, solely the Shawn Ryan Present and Rotten Mango are a part of a community; Joe Rogan has a distribution take care of Spotify, and MeidasTouch and This Previous Weekend are unbiased podcasts. Conversely, top-10 podcasts that haven’t opted into video, such because the information podcast 48 hours, are a part of podcast or media networks like CBS Information.
“We’re not tremendous proud of the route that Spotify is pushing in, as a result of it’s essentially at odds with our objectives, that are to drive audiences and monetize content material by way of ad-supported means,” mentioned one other nameless podcast firm govt. “And Spotify’s KPI is premium subscribers, which isn’t aligned with our ad-supported technique.”
An additive alternative
Regardless of the potential lack of dynamic advert income, six video podcast creators, together with Ryth, YMH Studios and the crew at FlightStory — the producers of Steven Bartlett’s widespread podcast The Diary of a CEO — instructed Digiday that the Spotify Accomplice Program paid out greater than YouTube over the previous six months. Ryth mentioned this system helped him triple his revenue between the primary quarter of 2024 and the primary quarter of 2025, with the creator making over $55,000 per 30 days by means of Spotify’s income share, in comparison with roughly $25,000 per 30 days from YouTube.
“It’s been an entire 180 in comparison with YouTube,” he mentioned. “I’ve simply been utilizing it [earnings/payouts] to upscale the content material; the vast majority of it’s simply reinvested again into the present.”
YMH Studios has seen weekly consumption of its podcasts develop by 45 % since becoming a member of the Spotify Accomplice Program, based on the corporate’s head of advert operations and partnerships Alan Abdine, who instructed Digiday that YMH has skilled a corresponding enhance in platform income in consequence.
“We’re actually making 5x on Spotify of what we might for the equal kind of class of consumer on YouTube,” he mentioned.
For now, the Spotify Accomplice Program is most engaging to podcasters who don’t depend on promoting income, whether or not as a enterprise selection or a results of the edgier or much less brand-safe nature of their content material. FlightStory, for instance, makes roughly 50 % of its income from advertisements, a smaller proportion than many different podcast corporations, based on CEO Georgie Holt.
The SPP juice won’t be definitely worth the squeeze but for bigger podcasters or podcast networks who make more cash by means of dynamic advertisements — however for podcasters who usually are not over-leveraged on advertisements, becoming a member of this system is a no brainer.
“As a podcaster myself, if I used to be hyper-reliant on dynamic advertisements as a large a part of my income and enterprise, I’d most likely be reluctant to close that off; I feel any community would, and may, contemplate that first off, and I feel Spotify is considering this as properly,” mentioned podcaster Casey Adams, the host of the Casey Adams Present and founding father of the podcast information firm Listener. “On the flip aspect, as an unbiased podcaster that’s not essentially depending on Spotify Megaphone advert income, [the SPP is] a extra thrilling alternative.”
A Spotify consultant mentioned that almost all of SPP individuals are making extra money by means of this system than they’d by means of dynamic advertisements, declaring that creators are nonetheless capable of make advert income by means of baked-in sponsorships and dynamic advertisements served on different platforms. The spokesperson added that Spotify doesn’t view its video push as a battle with YouTube, to create a further income alternative for video creators slightly than forcing them to cannibalize their viewers elsewhere. To assist creators determine whether or not to choose into this system, Spotify is blissful to share estimates of creators’ projected earnings from each advertisements and SPP income, per the spokesperson.
“Since launch, creators are seeing significant viewers and income progress — surpassing what they beforehand earned,” mentioned Spotify head of podcast enterprise Roman Wasenmüller. “SPP opens up new income streams whereas constructing on creators’ present companies. We’re simply at first, and as video consumption continues to develop on Spotify, so will the chance for creators.”
Rising pains or not, Spotify’s evolution from an audio platform to a house for video content material is properly underway, and the push seems to be bearing fruit. In April, Spotify introduced that it had paid out over $100 million to podcasters within the first quarter of 2025, with general video podcast consumption on the platform rising by 39 % year-over-year.
“They’ve actually given us extra alternatives to diversify our revenue streams,” mentioned FlightStory CRO Christiana Brenton. “And that mannequin, specifically, works properly for reveals which have embraced video and are on a progress trajectory.”
