Spotify aims to strengthen its position in fitness content through video

While competitors like Apple have long dominated the digital fitness market, Spotify is quietly positioning itself as an unexpected player in the wellness and sports industry. Led by new co-CEOs Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström, the streaming giant is exploring how video content and AI-powered features could transform the platform into much more than just a music service. They reveal these elements in a lengthy interview in Bloomberg.

From audio to an active lifestyle

The change began with Spotify’s big push into video content in 2024. According to company executives, the introduction of video has already sparked new user behaviours that go beyond passive listening. Guided sports classes have found an audience on the platform, prompting the company to develop plans to expand fitness-related content.

“We’re suddenly seeing people doing exercise with Spotify,” Söderström revealed in a recent interview. Although users have always created playlists for their runs, he noted, “they’ve never watched Spotify while doing yoga in front of it, so this opens up a very big and interesting opportunity for us.”

What sets Spotify apart

Unlike dedicated fitness apps that require separate subscriptions, Spotify’s fitness content leverages the platform’s existing user base of 281 million paying subscribers. The company reports that users already interact with the app on average 25 out of 30 days per month, up from 21 days five years ago. This high engagement rate provides a built-in audience for fitness programming.

The integration of fitness content is part of Spotify’s wider strategy to become what executives call an “all audio and video application”. Rather than creating a separate fitness platform, the company is integrating wellness content directly into an environment where users already spend a lot of time.

AI-powered personalisation

Spotify’s fitness ambitions are also linked to its artificial intelligence capabilities. The platform recently introduced an AI-voiced DJ called X that creates personalised playlists, and the company is testing a feature that allows users to create personalised playlists by typing in instructions. These AI tools could potentially extend to personalised training programming based on users’ preferences and fitness goals.

The company has positioned this approach as part of its ‘no regrets’ philosophy. Norström and Söderström want Spotify to enrich users’ lives rather than contribute to endless scrolling. “We want to create energy and culture, not just consume them,” said Norström.

Winning the attention of Generation Z

The fitness push comes at a time when Spotify is seeking to maintain its relevance among younger users, who increasingly see the platform as being for old people.

By offering daily video sports content, Spotify can compete more directly with platforms such as YouTube and TikTok for users’ time and attention. The move also positions the company to capture a share of the growing digital wellness market, which has exploded in recent years.

The road ahead

The roll-out of audiobooks has helped to increase revenues for the category as a whole by 9% in 2023 and a further 13% in 2024. If fitness content follows a similar trajectory, this could open up new revenue streams while deepening user engagement.

As the streaming landscape becomes increasingly competitive, Spotify’s expansion into fitness underlines the company’s intention to become an indispensable part of users’ daily routines, whether they are commuting, relaxing or sweating.