# Spotify Physical Books, YouTube Growth, Meta Vibes

**Podcast:** TechCrunch Daily Crunch
**Published:** 2026-02-06

## Transcript

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This episode is brought to you by Modulate.
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Good for Berlin.
While Spotify users face yet another price hike, book lovers have some exciting developments to look forward to that could help cushion the blow.
You see, Spotify announced several updates for its audiobook business on Thursday, notably its expansion into physical books.
Users in the good old USFA and the UK will soon be able to purchase physical copies of their favorite audiobooks directly through the app, marking a significant pivot for the once digital-only platform.
The company also introduced two features designed to make the audiobook experience smoother and more flexible, including a new tool called PageMatch that lets users scan a page from a physical book to instantly transition to that spot in the audiobook.
Additionally, audiobook recaps, a previously iOS only feature, is coming to Android devices in the spring.
This feature provides bite-sized recaps tailored to the last section users stopped listening to.
Spotify's decision to sell physical books through its app positions it as a competitor to major booksellers.
Now that includes Amazon and Barnes Noble.
Spotify then earns an affiliate fee on sales.
The ability to purchase physical books will roll out this spring and appear on audiobook pages in the app as a button labeled Add to Your Bookshelf at Home.
Clicking it takes users to Bookshop's website, which handles the pricing, inventory, and shipping.
In the two years since Spotify first introduced audiobooks, the platform has experienced significant growth.
Alphabet owned YouTube subscription and ad revenue is trending upwards.
The company on Wednesday said it now has 325 million paying users across Google One and YouTube Premium, up from 300 million three months earlier.
YouTube reported ad revenue increased 9% to $11.38 billion in the fourth quarter, but Miss Analysts average estimates of $11.84 billion.
YouTube's overall revenue, including ads and subscriptions, came in at $60 billion in the full financial year, up 17% compared to a year earlier.
The company said that YouTube's $8 per month ad-free premium tier is seeing strong traction, but didn't specify any numbers.
It added that YouTube Premium also saw strong growth.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pachai said the company plans to flesh out its subscription offerings, especially to capitalize on its growing YouTube TV user base.
We'll soon launch new YouTube TV plans, bringing more choice and flexibility to subscribers with over 10 genre-specific packages, he said.
YouTube Shorts recorded 200 billion average daily views in the quarter, the same as last year, but in some countries, ads on short form video earn more than in-stream ads on a per hour basis, the company said.
Pachai also highlighted podcasts as a growing format, with viewers watching 700 million hours of podcasts from their TVs in October.
YouTube said that its AI features are seeing traction and more than one million channels are using its AI creation tools.
The company said that 20 million consumers used its Gemini-powered content discovery tool in December.
Launched last September, Vibes lets you create and share short-form AI-generated videos and access a dedicated feed that displays AI videos from others.
Think TikTok or Instagram Reels, but every single video you come across is AI generated.
Now, until now, the feed has lived in the Meta AI app.
By making Vibes available outside of the Meta AI app, the company is positioning it as a more direct competitor to Sora, OpenAI's AI-generated video and social app that launched shortly after Vibes.
The news was first reported by Platformer.
Meta says it doesn't share specific numbers, but claims Vibes has performed well, with Meta AI usage continuing to grow steadily since its launch, which it believes signals demand for a standalone app.
The TechGiide also notes that while users engage with content in Meta AI, a standalone app allows for a more focused experience for creation and engagement.
Vibes lets users generate a video from scratch or remix a video that they see on their feed.
Before publishing, you can add new visuals, layer in music, and adjust styles.
You can then post the video directly to the Vibes feed, DM it to others, or cross-post to Instagram and Facebook stories and reels.
Although Vibes has been free since its launch, Meta says collaboration and sharing are on the rise, with many Vibes videos being messaged to friendscribe to unlock additional video creation opportunities each month.
And that's your daily crunch.
Today's stories were reported by Aisha Malik, Ivan Meta, and more awesome TechCrunch journalists.
We'll see you here tomorrow.
Same tech time, same crunch channel.
And until then, find us at TechCrunch.com.
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