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YouTube Reportedly Prepares Audiobooks Feature, May Bundle It With Premium

YouTube is reportedly in talks with publishers to launch a dedicated audiobooks feature, possibly included with its $16-a-month Premium plan and arriving as soon as 2027.

AI News Feed · 2026-10-15 20:40

Citing the Journal, Engadget reported that YouTube could offer audiobooks as soon as next year and that the company has considered bundling the feature with its ad-free Premium service, which costs $16 a month. Android Authority, citing the same paywalled Journal report, said Google has been holding discussions with publishers to bring select audiobooks to the platform and that the feature could arrive by 2027, with access potentially included in a YouTube Premium subscription at no extra cost. YouTube has not confirmed that it intends to add an audiobook section.

Several terms remain unresolved in the reports. It is unclear whether a Premium subscription would cover a full month of listening or whether YouTube would sell individual titles, and it is equally unclear whether free users would be shut out of audiobooks entirely or would have to pay for each title separately. Engadget noted that the effort is at an early stage and that any launch would still be uncertain.

Audiobook content is already widely available on YouTube, including public-domain titles and books that are not legally supposed to be on the platform. Google and other platforms have faced a growing problem with unauthorized book recordings generated using artificial intelligence, a category that includes robot-voiced narrations.

If the feature launches, YouTube would enter a market with established competitors. Spotify's Premium plans include 15 audiobook listening hours per month, and an Audiobooks+ add-on priced at an extra $12 a month provides another 15 hours. Spotify also offers a standalone Audiobooks Access plan for $10 a month with 15 hours, and individual books can be purchased through the Spotify Web Player. Audible's Standard membership costs $9 a month and provides access to one audiobook a month for as long as the subscription is maintained, while its $15 Premium membership grants one credit a month for a title the listener keeps permanently, plus access to an all-you-can-listen catalog.

How the reported YouTube feature fares against those services would depend on the size of its library and how competitive its pricing turns out to be, according to Engadget.