Spotify To Finally Launch Video This Week

Last May, Spotify announced it would add video and podcasts from major media partners to its streaming platform. Its was seen as a major play for the music service, taking on both YouTube and Apple. Now, 9 months later, video on Spotify is finally becoming a reality.

Spotify will add promised video content to it's Android mobile platform this week. iOS users will get access next week, according to the Wall Street Journal. The new video offering will be mobile only.

MTV, BBC, Vice, Comedy Central, NBC and The Nerdist will all offer content, according the original launch announcement. Most content will be short clips, but Tastemade and others are also developing original, music-themed series specifically for Spotify.

Music related content like Maker Studios’ rap comedy series Epic Rap Battles were popular with users in early tests.

A slow rollout of video was always the plan, according to Shiva Rajaraman, Spotify VP of Product. “We are at the end of a journey of testing,” he said “We are going out effectively as planned. Our goal was largely to get a wide breadth of content and experiment and test.”