Spotify is coming for YouTube’s video crown, and some media buyers are shifting their strategies
Video is king, and Spotify wants a piece of YouTube’s crown — and ad budgets.
Last month, Spotify signed a deal to stream ITV content in the U.K., following a similar deal with Channel 4 in May. While these deals are comparable in scope to those both broadcasters struck with YouTube earlier this year, they differ in scale. The deals allow Spotify to beef up its video library with little upfront investment, reminiscent of TV content sharing deals like those between Disney+ and ITVX in the U.K. and Prime Video and France.tv.
And they further reflect Spotify’s extensive efforts to court top video creators, many of whom originally built audiences on YouTube.
Brian Berner, global head of advertising and partnerships at Spotify, noted on The Big Impression podcast that “younger consumers are seeking more visual content on Spotify, starting with podcasts.”
A recent Comscore report shows that, as of August, more people ages 18 to 24 in the U.S. visit Spotify than social video-centric platforms like Facebook and TikTok. Meanwhile, the report also found that the percentage of U.S. households watching ad-supported content on YouTube fell 2 percentage points through August compared to 2025.
In an interview with The Current, Berner added that video consumption in the U.K. is up more than 95% year over year. “We expect that to continue to grow as it’s how the industry is evolving and where we see the most growth, opportunity and demand,” he said.
This isn’t the first time Spotify has pivoted to video. It previously tried to expand beyond audio various times over the last decade. But its recent efforts seem different, putting it in competition for video ad budgets with YouTube, currently the leading video podcast platform. That shift is already influencing how media buyers view Spotify’s role in media plans.
“I absolutely see Spotify’s role growing,” said Nadia Pesina, head of brand media at PMG. “With consumption of video podcasts up dramatically, for Gen Z especially, and Spotify’s push into visual-first formats, you’ll likely see more budgets shift toward Spotify as a ‘content environment,’ not just an ‘audio channel.’”
The video podcast gold mine
Spotify isn’t limiting video content to its own app — it’s also looking to increase the footprint of that IP beyond the platform.
A deal with Netflix, announced earlier this month, will see video podcasts from Spotify Studios and The Ringer appear on the streamer starting next year. Some of The Ringer’s shows will also show up in a free ad-supported TV (FAST) channel on Samsung TV Plus, the companies announced earlier in the month.
“Spotify’s investment in video and other emerging formats has elevated the consumer experience on platform, but I see that as the tip of the iceberg,” said Shasta Cafarelli, senior vice president of media investment at Tinuiti.
“Their recent partnerships with major TV publishers and manufacturers like Netflix and Samsung are helping shape the next evolution of digital audio, bringing two of the most engaging mediums even closer together. The ability to connect these touchpoints more seamlessly presents an exciting development for marketers, and Spotify will undoubtedly play a central role in that strategy.”
With EMarketer forecasting steady growth in video podcast viewers in the U.S. for the next few years, the competition for podcast engagement and video ad budgets is only likely to intensify. Spotify is already capturing some of that growth; earlier this year, the company reported a 44% year-over-year increase in time spent watching video content.
“By targeting podcasts, they are really following where the listening has gone, and changing the balance of their platform in response, rather than trying to lead their users down a whole new path,” said Jamie MacEwan, senior media analyst at Enders Analysis.
“Podcasts are the biggest card in Spotify’s hand because many people watch podcast shows as entertainment and like to see the hosts’ interactions,” MacEwan added. “Spotify is the default central podcast library for a lot of people, so this is a chance to stop people leaking to YouTube for video podcasts.”
New video content comes with new ad offerings
As Spotify strengthens its video business, its investments in ad tech, like its Spotify Ad Exchange (SAX), have made it an increasingly appealing option for programmatic advertisers.
“Since launching SAX in April, we’ve seen a 142% increase in the number of advertisers leveraging SAX so far, demonstrating its value to media buyers,” Berner said.
PMG’s Pesina said Spotify’s ad offerings now include audio for “listen only” moments, video and display for when the app is in focus, and contextually relevant placements tied to mood and genre.
That media buyers increasingly see Spotify as a destination for premium video stands in contrast to YouTube’s growing AI slop problem. Spotify must continue delivering on measurement, format diversity and creative excellence for brands to feel confident that “it’s not just an ‘add-on’ but a core piece of the media mix,” Pesina said.
“If they nail that, media planners will increasingly treat Spotify as a central platform with reach, engagement and content-rich moments baked in, rather than a supplementary audio buy.”