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Amazon has traditionally operated its audiobook marketplace Audible as a separate entity, unrelated to the retailer's broader goals and ambitions. Things are about to change a bit today with the launch of a test that will allow Audible users to receive recommendations on what to listen to next based on their Prime Video viewing behavior.
The company says this will be introduced through a new Discovery Page feature “based on what you've recently watched on Prime Video.” This recommended carousel shows Audible users a personalized selection of relevant titles.
This feature is in testing, so there is no explicit opt-in or opt-out at this time. Instead, Amazon says half of users who have both Audible and Amazon Prime will see a carousel of recommendations within the app.
The recommendations themselves use collaborative filtering to predict other audiobooks that are relevant to you based on what you're watching on Prime Video and what other similar users are listening to. . Amazon says these recommendations can include titles, stories, microgenres, and authors preferred by customers with similar tastes.
Audible says the feature was inspired by consumer behavior it has already witnessed. When a book is adapted into a show or movie, the number of listeners to the original work increases on Audible. For example, in the two weeks since “Reacher” premiered on Prime Video in 2022, Lee's average daily viewing time of his Child's catalog increased by nearly 80%. It's been two weeks since “The Summer I Turned Pretty” boosted author Jenny Han's average viewing time for her catalog by more than 10 times. Other titles such as “Daisy Jones and the Six” and “Red, White and Royal Blue” also increased by 2.5x and 4.3x, respectively.
But this is a reaction to the audiobook market finally getting some competition, as Spotify has added 15 hours of audiobooks to its premium subscription in some markets, with the option to add more hours if needed. I think it is highly likely that it is. The move makes Spotify the second-largest audiobook provider behind Audible. Additionally, streaming music services can use their own customer data to make recommendations. For example, someone who listens to a lot of pop music might be recommended Britney Spears' memoir. However, TV shows and movies are often adaptations of books, making them a stronger source of recommendations.
“There's a natural synergy between TV, movies and books, and we see it clearly in how our customers engage with content on Audible,” said Audible's Chief Product and Analytics Officer. one Andy Tsao said in a statement provided to TechCrunch. “We're constantly innovating to give our customers what they want, and we're excited about the potential of this feature to help listeners dive deeper into the stories and worlds they love in other media and discover new media.” doing.”