Storytel issued a press release today to say it had beaten its forecast for both subscribers and revenue in Q4, with an average 768,700 paying subscribers across its fifteen markets, up almost 48,000 on Q3. Streaming revenue just beat the forecast, coming in at SEK 291.3 million ($32 million) for Q4, of which SEK 140 Read More …
The official press release doesn’t tell us much, but Storytel Bulgaria is now officially Storytel’s 15th market, fifteen months after Storytel acquired the Bulgarian audiobook firm D&D Factory. No numbers for Bulgarian content, but what there is will be available alongside Storytel’s 50,000 English-language titles. UPDATE: Storytel Bulgaria launches with 300 titles in Bulgarian. Stefan Read More …
It was never going to be easy for new kid on the Scandinavian audiobook block, Bokus Play. Storytel is far and away the strongest player, both at home and abroad, with BookBeat and Nextory so comfortably in second and third place it seemed like there was no room for a fourth player. Even one with Read More …
If the Scribd-New York Times subscription bundle made the headlines in the Anglophone world, it is Bookbeat’s deal with Dagen Nyheter that is the big news in Scandinavia. Bookbeat, second player to Storytel in the Nordic audiobook and ebook subscription stakes, has signed a deal with the Swedish digital news service (Dagens Nyheter = Today’s Read More …
Forty percent of books sold in Sweden are through a subscription service. Total book sales revenue in Sweden increased by 6.2% last year but, perhaps unsurprisingly given the rise and rise of the subscription model in Scandinavia, digital is leading the charge. And traditional bookselling outlets are getting hammered. While there are many upsides to Read More …
Svensk Bokhandel, the Swedish publishing industry journal that broke the story about Storytel’s two tier royalties – one level for Bonnier, another for everyone else – carries a response from Storytel CEO Jonas Tellander today. I want to be transparent and answer any questions I can answer. The last thing I want to be is Read More …
With Storytel under increasing pressure from rival operators in the Swedish audiobook arena two things were inevitable. First, Storytel’s market share would fall. And consequent on that Storytel would need to review its royalty arrangements for its content suppliers – in this case established publishers, as Storytel does not deal direct with authors as per Read More …
With 621,000 subscribers in Q2 2018, up nearly 200,000 on the same period 2017, Storytel’s CEO Jonas Tellander is reporting another quarter of strong growth. In a press release Storytel announced, Streaming revenues for the period totaled circa 239 MSEK ($27.3 million), which corresponds to 43% in annual revenue growth, slightly more than three million Read More …
Storytel today goes live in its thirteenth market, as Italy joins hands with Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, India, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. Launches in Bulgaria and Mexico planned for later this year. Regulars here at TNPS will not be surprised by the Italy launch, which I first Read More …
Storytel’s twelfth audiobook and ebook store went live this past week (confession – I got distracted by the IPA Regional Seminar, so a few days late with the news), with Turkey the third of five planned launches this year. Turkey joined Iceland and the United Arab Emirates as 2018 additions to a fold that already Read More …
With the Storytel Spain launch in 2017 it was really just a matter of time before Jonas Tellander’s attention turned to Latin America. Now it seems that time is upon us. With Iceland and UAE launched already this year, Turkey imminent, and Italy and Bulgaria both lined up, the promised five new Storytel countries for Read More …
That’s the intriguing claim made over at Norway’s trade journal Bok365 this week as it reports Storytel’s market capitalisation has increased by 45% this year. Asserts Bok365: Storytel AB alone now has greater market capitalization than the entire Norwegian book industry. Bok365 puts Storytel’s latest valuation at SEK 5 billion ($602 million), which as Bok365 Read More …
The Hot Sheet is a publishing industry news-sheet for authors, produced every two weeks by Porter Anderson and Jane Friedman, and reviewed here every other Sunday as one of the best bi-weekly industry overviews available to authors. We’re not interested in delivering breaking news, but perspective on stories that are likely to retain meaning for your long-term decision Read More …
The Swedish audiobook-focussed publisher and distributor Storytel has delivered another quarter of positive results, reporting a total of 577,900 subscribers (across ten countries) at end Q1, an increase of 51% on Q1 2017, and 6,000 above forecast. Streaming revenue, up 43% on Q1 2017, exceeded forecast by SEK 2 million, hitting SEK 222 million($26.5 million). Read More …
Amid the overall success story of the rising Russian audiobook market, one company stands out for exceptional achievement. Storytel only established its office in Russia in June 2017 and did not become fully active until December, yet is already claiming 15% of the market, equal to better-established rival Patefon, and ahead of all the other Read More …
There are three big digital book players in Sweden – Storytel, Bonnier’s Bookbeat, and Nextory. And this week comes news that Nextory has raised SEK 51 million ($6.2 million) as part of plans to become the biggest ebook operator in Sweden, and beyond. The fresh money (on top of SEK 50 million previously raised) comes Read More …
While not yet in profit, Storytel has made impressive gains over Q4 2017, with overall revenue up 27% on the period, while streaming revenue rose 47%. CEO Jonas Tellander confirmed total subscribers now at 533,400, in keeping with a TNPS estimate last month. Storytel has 300,000 Swedish subscribers, a further 250,000 beyond and is aiming Read More …
Swedish audiobook subscription service Storytel launched in its tenth country today, adding Iceland to an impressive list of nations that already includes Denmark, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain and India, as well as Sweden itself. This will come as no surprise to TNPS regulars. As reported here in January – Storytel has 300,000 Swedish subscribers, Read More …
Today Storytel India offers over 1,000 titles on its localized app. Not bad going for an operation that only went live in November and began with a cold-call email from an avid Indian reader. How Storytel came to beat Amazon’s Audible to India – Sweden’s Storytel beats Amazon’s Audible to the India audiobook market and Read More …
Akademibokhandel’s subsidiary Bokus will start audiobook streaming in Sweden this spring, going head to head with Storytel, Bookbeat and Nextory. Boktugg reports this week that Bonnier-owned Bookbeat saw revenue rise 283% last year and that it is is hoping to hit SEK 100 million ($12 million) soon, as it adds Spain and Italy to its Read More …
