Streaming tech and entertainment company Cineverse is making an early push to publish video titles from its free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels on Spotify – as the streaming audio giant sees growth in video podcast consumption.
To be clear, this is not an official partnership or deal between Spotify and Cineverse, a spokesperson from Spotify confirmed to StreamTV Insider. But rather a move by the latter to test out TV titles on the platform, following earlier engagement success with the Cineverse Podcast Network on Spotify.
Creators and partners already have the ability to publish both audio and video content on the platform, and the Spotify spokesperson told STV it’s “excited for Cineverse to bring their extensive video content library to the many listeners that they’ve engaged with for their podcasts and other content previously as well as new users on Spotify.”
That said it could be good for both Cineverse, which counts a content library of more than 70,000 films and TV shows, and Spotify.
First a few more specifics on Cineverse’s plan. Not all Cineverse video content is being published on Spotify right away as it’s starting out with small test batches. The first batch, available now, includes “a few dozen titles and series,” a Cineverse spokesperson told StreamTV Insider.
Some of the video content from Cineverse that's first publishing on Spotify (and typically only available on SVOD, AVOD or FAST) includes titles from series Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, Land of the Lost, Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch, The FBI Files and comedy specials from Jeff Dunham, Jim Gaffigan, Eddie Griffin, Tiffany Hadish, Kathleen Madigan and Gary Owen, and more.
The full-length TV titles can be accessed for free via the ad-supported version of Spotify.
Cineverse plans to publish “many more titles” of video content on Spotify once it gets back initial data on what content is resonating, with all future batches of titles dependent on data. Once past its own early test, Cineverse plans to publish video titles monthly and keep testing other content, the spokesperson noted.
Cineverse isn’t putting any limits on how many or what kind of titles it publishes on Spotify “but want to be prudent about it and what patterns emerge from user consumption,” the spokesperson told STV.
The move follows success Cineverse has seen with its Cineverse Podcast Network on Spotify. In May it disclosed the podcast network attracted 9.6 million unique listeners and generated 12.7 million downloads and streams in April 2024 – propelling it to the No. 8 spot in North America for Spotify listeners.
At the time, Cineverse cited expansion plans that include video-first podcasts for YouTube and Spotify Video, plus new shows under the anime RetroCrush and Midnight Pulp brands.
The FAST titles from Cineverse haven’t been reformatted in any way to resemble podcast videos and are full-length episodes.
But they join the platform as Spotify has marked growing engagement for video – namely video podcasts at this point.
In June, Spotify disclosed that globally, video consumption hours on the streaming audio giant had grown faster than audio-only consumption hours year over year. The platform now boasts more than 250,000 video podcast shows, up from 100,000 in 2023. And more than 170 million users have watched a video podcast on Spotify. In the U.S. nearly 1 in 3 U.S. podcast monthly active user engages with video and globally the number of video podcast MAUs grew 40% yoy. What’s more, over 70% of users watch video podcasts in the foreground, meaning it’s got their attention.
In a statement, Marc Rashba, EVP of partnerships at Cineverse, said “it was natural for us to explore distribution with Spotify” as platforms keep expanding to provide consumers more options to access content where and when they want it.
“As we have learned from the success of the Cineverse Podcast Network, Spotify has a massive reach and value, and we are now in a strong first-mover position to take advantage of this new opportunity,” Rashba continued.
And nScreenMedia analyst and founder Colin Dixon views the development as a good opportunity for both Cineverse and Spotify.
In a July 30 blog the analyst called it “a win-win, helping Cineverse reach a new audience and Spotify expand its role with users.”
Dixon noted the decision to put FAST titles on a mainly audio platform might seem odd, but that “it could be a good time for Cineverse to make the move” as Spotify users are also becoming use to watching video on the platform (pointing to earlier video trends disclosed by Spotify).
The analyst feels Spotify offers a gateway to global audiences, noting there are 626 million Spotify users globally. In addition to reach, Dixon thinks Spotify users, which are largely younger audiences who engage for more than two hours daily, often on mobile devices, are part of the attraction for Cineverse.
“A young, mobile, engaged audience represents a substantial new opportunity for Cineverse and its eclectic mix of content,” wrote Dixon. He added, “if the partnership works out, being the first mover on the Spotify platform could be a big win for Cineverse.”