Published January 26th 2016
Looks like Spotify is not only targeting Tidal and Soundcloud as their competitors, but they also want to give YouTube and Vevo a run for their money. Spotify will be adding video shows and podcasts to their Android version today.
Spotify Now With Video
The video addition was already tested for about 6 months in their beta version and has proven itself to be worthy of a spot in the live app for Spotify Now.
Only Short Videos So Far
So far, just clips of various TV shows have been on offer from mostly the biggest broadcasting networks. However, it’s expected that they will be offering full shows down the line.
Even though, Spotify may attempt this move to be a stronger partner for podcasts, it doesn´t appear to be their intent for users to start uploading their own video content to the platform, like you are able to do on YouTube.
iOS To Follow Later This Week
Video streaming for iOS is currently still being tested. It´s expected an official release for this platform will follow at the end of this week.
Time will have to show whether video will really work for Spotify, as the main focus of the app has always been so strongly on audio. I, personally, tend to let the app play in the background and do something else instead. Still, Spotify has teamed up with great media partners in this area and if they start offering more exclusive content, I´m sure I can be persuaded to watch more video there.