Spotify, one of the most popular music streaming platforms is adding some new content to its library. Apart from listening to music, audiobooks and podcasts, users in the United Kingdom are reporting that they are seeing video-based lessons. In a press release, the company announced that subscribers living in the United Kingdom will be able to purchase video courses from educational tech companies like Skillshare, Thinkific, BBC Maestro and PLAYvirtuoso. The Swedish company says the courses cover a wide range of content that is "categorised into four main themes: make music, get creative, healthy living and learn business." On the mobile version of the app, these courses can be accessed by tapping a new pill-shaped icon located on top of the home screen, via the browse tab and the search bar. Spotify says these online courses will be available to both free and premium subscribers, who will be able to try at least two lessons per course before making the purchase. While the idea of a music streaming platform selling online video courses may sound weird, the company says almost half of its Premium subscribers have engaged in education of self-help-themed podcasts. "Many of our users engage with podcasts and audiobooks on a daily basis for their learning needs, and we believe this highly engaged community will be interested in accessing and purchasing quality content from video course creators," said Babar Zafar, VP Product Development at Spotify. To purchase online video courses, users will have to navigate to a dedicated web page. When they buy a course, it will be available for watching on both mobile and desktop. However, it is still unclear if the experiment will be limited to those living in the United Kingdom or see a wider rollout.
