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Audio Streaming Ad-Supported MAUs

Audio Streaming Ad-Supported MAUs measures users of Spotify's ad-supported service who consumed content during the last 30 days under the company's operating definition.

By Lee BaileyPublished Sep 23, 2026
Research context

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Research date
Sep 23, 2026Use the dated article and cited sources for the definition, examples, and stated limitations.
Operating-model context
15 connected conceptsPart of the reviewed Audio Streaming Subscription Economics; issuer definitions remain distinct where disclosed.
Company examples
1 reviewed companyRelationships reflect supported examples, not a normalized cross-company KPI ranking.
  1. The activity threshold is deliberately broad
  2. Audience scale is not advertising inventory sold
  3. Free users also feed the subscription funnel
  4. Part of the Audio Streaming Subscription Economics
  5. See It in Company Research
  6. Continue Research

Audio Streaming Ad-Supported MAUs measure recently active users of the free, advertising-supported service.

Spotify reported 476 million Ad-Supported MAUs at December 31, 2025, up from 425 million a year earlier.

The activity threshold is deliberately broad

Spotify defines the KPI as Ad-Supported Users that consumed content for more than zero milliseconds during the final 30 days of the reporting period.

That makes the measure useful for audience reach, but it does not distinguish light users from highly engaged listeners.

Audience scale is not advertising inventory sold

An active free user can generate advertising opportunities, but the MAU count does not report impressions delivered, impressions sold, CPM, fill rate, or sales-channel mix.

Those monetization variables help explain why Ad-Supported revenue can move differently from free-audience growth.

Free users also feed the subscription funnel

Spotify says new Premium Subscribers are primarily sourced from conversion of Ad-Supported Users.

The free audience therefore has two economic roles: generating advertising revenue today and creating a pool of potential paid subscribers for the future.

Primary source: Spotify 2025 Form 20-F.

Part of the Audio Streaming Subscription Economics

Connect audience scale, paid subscribers, ARPU, Premium and ad-supported revenue, and segment gross margins to understand audio-streaming growth, monetization, and content-cost economics.

Browse the full operating model in Company Analysis →
Where this concept fits
  • Audience scale and paid conversionCurrent relationship
    Monthly Active Users show the total engaged audience, while Premium Subscribers and Ad-Supported MAUs split that audience into paid and free-service participation under Spotify's issuer-defined methodology. Their growth rates show whether audience expansion is occurring through paid subscriptions, ad-supported usage, or both.
    Ad-Supported MAU GrowthAd-Supported MAUsCurrent conceptMAU GrowthMonthly Active UsersPremium Subscriber GrowthPremium Subscribers
  • Premium and ad-supported monetization
    Premium ARPU connects paid-user scale to subscription monetization, while Premium and Ad-Supported revenue and their growth rates show how the two services translate audience into revenue. Foreign exchange, pricing, plan mix, advertising CPMs, impressions sold, and sales-channel mix can cause revenue growth to diverge from user growth.
    Ad-Supported RevenueAd-Supported Revenue GrowthPremium ARPUPremium ARPU ChangePremium RevenuePremium Revenue Growth
  • Content-cost and gross-margin economics
    Premium and Ad-Supported gross margins show the economics of each service after royalties, content, podcast, audiobook, payment-processing, streaming-delivery, and related costs, while consolidated gross margin combines both services. Segment margin changes can differ materially because the underlying revenue and cost drivers are different.
    Ad-Supported Gross MarginConsolidated Gross MarginPremium Gross Margin

See It in Company Research

These companies are examples of how the concept is reported or discussed in public filings. Definitions can differ by issuer; these links open company research rather than a normalized metric comparison.

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Compare free-audience scale

Compare active ad-supported audience scale without treating user counts as impressions sold, ad revenue, or unique people.

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