The most popular streaming service, Spotify, is launching a new in-platform ad format in the EMEA region. After successful tests in the US and the rollout of the new format in the UK, the ability to sponsor the personalized playlist Discover This Week is becoming available in 9 new markets - Poland, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Switzerland and Turkey.
How does playlist sponsorship work?
Discover This Week is a weekly updated list of music tracks prepared based on the user's personal preferences. The playlist, personalized for more than 299 million users of the platform worldwide, is growing in popularity year after year. According to the latest data, in just one year (from 15 July 2019 to 25 June this year) users spent more than 2.3 billion hours listening to a fresh dose of music selected especially for them.
"The 'Discover This Week' playlist gives brands the opportunity to show platform users how well we know and understand them. At Spotify, we focus on providing brands and advertisers with unique opportunities to connect with listeners. The ability to sponsor the 'Discover This Week' playlist is just one of them. We have already introduced this feature in the UK and the US. We have received only positive feedback from companies that took the opportunity to build a relationship with their audiences. We are delighted that we can now extend the availability of this feature to new markets in the EMEA region." - comments Rak Patel, Regional Head of Sales UK and Pan-EMEA at Spotify.
Audio and video formats
How the new ad format on Spotify works
The new ad format makes it possible to use both audio and video ads in campaigns.
Summary
Spotify is extending to Poland and eight other EMEA markets the ability to sponsor the personalized Discover This Week playlist. It is a format previously tested in the US and the UK, where — as Rak Patel of Spotify states — it was received positively by advertisers.
The playlist, generated based on listeners' preferences, reaches more than 299 million users. From July 2019 to June 2020, they spent as many as 2.3 billion hours listening to it, which makes it an attractive context for audio and video campaigns.
