Spotify may soon let free users skip ads, following a trial run in Australia, as the music streaming site looks to increase relevance of its ads.
In a report from Advertising Age, Spotify is preparing to run a test in Australia that will let free-tier listeners skip audio and video adverts at any time during their playback.
This is designed to replace the pre-set time that users have to listen to Spotify’s unskippable adverts.
The trial is looking to let users skip ads as many times as they like, as often as they like, meaning they can just jump straight back into the music they want to listen to with minimum disruption.
The test feature is called “Active Media” and it’s designed to improve both user experience and ad spend on the platform.
Spotify says that advertisers won’t have to pay for any ads that are skipped.
The music streaming firm is hoping that by monitoring ads that are skipped, its ad algorithm can learn what type of adverts users prefer listening to. By improving the quality and relevance of ads, this can make up for any shortfall in spending.
Australia is Spotify’s testbed because it’s a smaller market for the music streaming service.
Any potential lost revenue due to users skipping ads will be far smaller than if they implemented it across Europe or the US for testing.
“Our hypothesis is if we can use this to fuel our streaming intelligence, and deliver a more personalized experience and a more engaging audience to our advertisers, it will improve the outcomes that we can deliver for brands,” said Danielle Lee, Spotify’s global head of partner solutions.
