Storytel has surpassed one million paying subscribers
Storytel’s offering of reading and listening experiences is growing substantially.
The number of audio and ebook users has continued to rise significantly during the summer, and on August 12 the company reached a new milestone with over one million paying subscribers. Storytel’s paying subscriber base has increased by over 200,000 customers since the beginning of the year.
“I am extremely moved and very thankful for the fantastic response Storytel receives every day from people all over the world who love stories. It motivates and inspires us to stay passionate and innovative and to continuously challenge ourselves to further develop new features and new wonderful reading experiences together with both authors and users. A million thanks to our fantastic customers”, says Jonas Tellander, CEO of Storytel.
Storytel was created in 2005, and is a digital pioneer in the rapidly growing global audiobook market we see today. Two years before the Iphone changed the way people think about one’s phone, Storytel’s founders Jonas Tellander and Jon Hauksson had the vision, the will and the passion for both the content and the technology, which would prove completely decisive in terms of breaking entirely new ground for streaming stories directly to consumers through the mobile network.
Storytel had a fantastic streaming concept — but in a complicated time.
In 2009, the global financial crisis cast a dark shadow over the world. Storytel had 2,000 subscribers and sales of SEK 4 million that year — the same year that CEO Jonas Tellander grasped the last straw and presented his concept on prime time television to the Swedish population and a jury composed of angel investors in a Swedish TV programme called “Draknästet” (eng. “Dragon’s Den”/”Shark Tank”).
Storytel is today Northern Europe’s largest streaming service for audio books and ebooks with a total of over 300,000 titles. The company operates in 17 markets across the globe. Its head office is in Stockholm.
Storytel’s streaming business is based on a subscription service for audio books and ebooks, and operates under the Storytel and Mofibo brands. The publishing operations consist of Norstedts, Massolit, Storyside, Printz Publishing, People´s Press, Rabén & Sjögren, B. Wahlströms and Norstedts Kartor. Ztory, which is a streaming service for newspapers and magazines, has been under Storytel’s management since January 2019.
“Storytel was born 14 years ago with the vision of making the world a more empathetic place through fantastic stories that can be shared and appreciated by anyone, anywhere and at any time. This still applies, now more than ever, to help people slow down and enjoy a well told story.”, says Jonas Tellander.
Storytel — from 2005 to today
2005 Jonas Tellander and Jon Hauksson found the Bokilur audio book service, which subsequently becomes Storytel.
2009 The global financial crisis shakes the world. Storytel’s CEO Jonas Tellander takes part in “Draknästet”, a Swedish TV programme, and secures financing for the company’s continued offensive venture.
2011 The first Storytel-produced audio book is launched on the market.
2016 Storytel acquires Norstedts, the second largest publishing group in Sweden. Storytel acquires Danish audio book competitor Mofibo.
2017 Storytel acquires People’s Press, the fourth largest publisher in Denmark.
2018 Storytel launches the Storytel Reader tablet. Great deal of focus on international expansion and launches on six new markets. Listed on Nasdaq First North. Family subscription created.
2019 Storytel acquires the app-based newspaper and magazine subscription service Ztory in January. Storytel is currently found in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Germany, Russia, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Turkey, India, United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, Singapore and Mexico. Additional market launches are planned in 2019; launches in Brazil and South Korea have already been announced.
12 August 2019 Storytel passes a new milestone: One million paying subscribers.
For more information, please contact:
Dan Panas, Head of Communications, Storytel: +46 70 186 52 90
About Storytel
Storytel is Northern Europe's leading audiobook and e-book streaming service and offers unlimited listening and reading of more than 200 000 titles on a global scale. Our vision is to make the world a more empathetic place with great stories to be shared and enjoyed by anyone, anywhere and anytime. Storytel is a digital platform provider as well as a comprehensive publishing group. The streaming business area offers subscriptions for audiobooks and e-books under the Storytel and Mofibo brands. Storytel's publishing business area is carried out through the publishing houses Norstedts, Massolit, StorySide, Printz Publishing, People's Press, Rabén & Sjögren, B.Wahlströms and Norstedts Kartor. Ztory - a subscribed digital read-all-you-can streaming service for newspapers and magazines, is part of Storytel since January 2019. Storytel operates in 17 markets around the globe and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.
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