It could offer audiobooks as soon as next year, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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YouTube is preparing to launch an audiobooks feature as soon as next year and has been in talks with publishers over the previous months, according to the Wall Street Journal. You can already find a bunch of channels with audiobook videos on the platform if you look. Some of them feature titles in the public domain, but some of them offer books that aren't legally supposed to be on YouTube. One growing problem on the platform is the spread of unauthorized book recordings made using AI. Ever come across an audiobook on YouTube narrated by a robotic voice? Most likely, it was one of those unauthorized titles we're talking about.
At the moment, YouTube has yet to confirm if it's really looking to have an audiobook section. The Journal says it has considered bundling the feature with its ad-free Premium service that costs $16 a month. Since it's still very early days, we'll have to wait and see whether that price will cover your whole month of listening and if YouTube will offer individual books for sale — if the feature even does launch.
Since there are already other, more established services, its success will all depend on YouTube's library and how competitive its prices will be. Spotify has several options. Its Premium plans come with 15 audiobook listening hours per month, and for an extra $12 a month, you'll get another 15 hours with its Audiobooks+ add-on. It has a standalone plan for $10 a month called Audiobooks Access, which offers 15 hours a month, as well. Plus, you can buy individual books via the Spotify Web Player.
Meanwhile, Audible's $9-per-month Standard membership gives you access to one audiobook a month from its library that you can access as long as you're paying for a subscription. Its $15 Premium membership will give you one credit a month that you can use to buy a title you can keep forever, as well as access to an all-you-can-listen catalog.