Spotify is reportedly testing a button that lets podcast listeners skip ads and subscription mentions, including ads Spotify sold itself.
Podnews reports that Spotify is testing a Skip ahead button that appears during podcast ads and sponsorship reads, including ads Spotify itself sold, and that it also allows listeners to skip mentions of creator subscription programmes. Spotify carries a large share of podcast downloads in many countries, so a change to how ads are delivered on its platform reaches far beyond its own catalogue. Christian podcasters and ministries that rely on sponsorship reads or listener subscriptions to fund production could see that income undermined if the feature spreads. The episode also raises a broader question for any Christian media organisation about how much control distribution platforms hold over content monetisation they do not create.