Audiobook companies like to publish numbers with two kinds of finding. First, that the audiobook market is expanding. And second that they as a company are responsible for a large amount of the good stuff they have just demonstrated. Spotify has so far been the leader in this field, but Frankfurt Book Fair saw Audible jump headlong into the space with a much-vaunted report commissioned from NielsenIQ that was launched there.
ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway
As with Spotify's claims, there is some hype to set aside, but the insights into what is happening with audio from 18,000 global respondents are fascinating. The headlines have been focusing on the increase in listening to audiobooks. Globally, 34 percent of listeners said they had listened to more audiobook content in 2025 than the previous year, with the figures for the US and UK at 35 and 38 percent respectively.
Audiobooks Drive Multi-Format Purchasing
Another eye-catching figure relates to audio's impact on other forms of literary media. This is something we have seen Spotify's figures mention as well, with Page Match being credited with increasing reading across formats. In this latest survey, 63 percent of listeners said they had bought an e-book or print copy after listening, and even more (69 percent) saying they listened after reading in another format. Which sends a very clear message on the value of having titles available in multiple formats.
Something that will be picked up as an overall positive is the evidence that audiobooks can eat into other forms of screen time. Forty-seven percent of those who listen to audiobooks claimed they spent less time on social media as a result.
Human Narrators Retain Their Pull
A final interesting finding. Sixty-five percent of listeners stated they sought out audiobooks based on their having a narrator they liked. Which suggests at least some future for human narration alongside the clear bottom-line case for AI-generated narration that the multiple-format purchasing reported suggests for those who can't afford human narrators.
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