Strategic partnership signals major shift in digital content aggregation

Storytel Group has partnered with Ringier Axel Springer Poland to launch a combined subscription package, merging audiobook and ebook access with premium journalism.

The bundle, available exclusively through Onet.pl, pairs a Storytel subscription (15 hours monthly) with Onet Premium’s ad-free news, analysis, and podcasts.

Claus Wamsler-Nielsen, Storytel Group’s Chief Commercial Officer, described the deal as a “first strategic collaboration” with the media giant, hinting at future joint opportunities.

For publishing professionals, this represents a significant vertical integration between audio streaming and news media – a model gaining traction across Europe.

Poland’s contested digital landscape

The partnership enters a fiercely competitive market. Poland’s book sector generates nearly €940 million annually, with audiobooks capturing 8% of total market value in 2024. Four platforms – Audioteka, Empik, Storytel, and BookBeat – dominate audio distribution, with subscription models accounting for 60.1% of European audiobook consumption.

Ringier Axel Springer Poland’s bundling strategy has already achieved a 91% CAGR for Onet Premium, which reaches 82% of Polish internet users monthly. The platform now produces 30,000 audio versions of articles monthly, with subscribers averaging 10 hours of listening time.

Content proposition and market positioning

Storytel’s catalogue exceeds 500,000 titles, featuring Polish authors Andrzej Sapkowski and Remigiusz Mróz alongside international bestsellers. Onet Premium provides access to Newsweek, Forbes, Politico, and Die Welt in Polish, positioning the bundle as a comprehensive content solution.

Katarzyna Ostrowska, Head of Subscription Growth at Onet Premium, emphasised the synergy: “We are creating a solution that organises information chaos and simultaneously opens the door to hundreds of stories, both real-life and fantasy, from top authors.”

The View From The Beach

This partnership reflects broader European trends: publishers are moving beyond single-product subscriptions toward content ecosystems. Ringier Axel Springer Poland’s focus on audio – co-producing podcasts with editors-in-chief across its portfolio – demonstrates how traditional media companies embed streaming models into their core offering.

For imprints and authors, the deal creates new distribution pathways.

Storytel’s nine-year presence in Poland includes its 2017 Storytel Originals initiative, producing exclusive 10-part audio serials. Bundling with news content potentially exposes literary works to non-traditional readers who discover audio content through daily news consumption.

The competitive response

The alliance strengthens both parties against Audioteka, the domestic market leader, and Empik Group, which reported 40% subscriber growth for its Empik Go app in 2024. As subscription bundling becomes standard, publishers must evaluate whether to partner with aggregators or build direct-to-consumer audio strategies.

The model’s success will depend on conversion rates from Onet’s massive reach and Storytel’s ability to retain subscribers beyond the 15-hour tier – particularly as BookBeat and Empik expand their own productions.

This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.