Storytel AB is a Stockholm-based e-book and audiobook subscription service.
 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Audiobooks |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Founders | Jonas Tellander Jon Hauksson |
| Headquarters | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Website | storytel audiobooks |
It is available in more than 25 countries.[1] Its English audiobook service Audiobooks.com is available in more than 150 countries.[2]
History
editStorytel was founded in 2006 by Jonas Tellander and Jon Hauksson.[3] The company bought one of Sweden's largest book publishers, Norstedts förlag, in 2016.[4]
In 2016, Storytel acquired the Danish book service Mofibo.[5]
In 2017, Storytel acquired the Danish publisher People's Press.[6]
In 2017, Storytel expanded its services to Russia, Spain, India and the United Arab Emirates.[4]
In 2018, Storytel purchased the Turkish audiobook service Seslenen Kitaplar, and Turkey became the 19th country in which Storytel services exist.[7]
In September 2019 it acquired Finland's oldest publishing house, Gummerus.[8]
In July 2020 it acquired a 70 percent stake in Icelandic publishing house Forlagið.[9]
In January 2021 it surpassed 1.5 million paid subscribers.[10]
In November 2021, RBMedia announced that its property Audiobooks.com was being sold to Storytel for $135 million.[11][12] At the time of purchase, Audiobooks.com was used by about 17% of audiobook buyers, and the acquisition was seen as a way for Storytel to enter the large English-speaking marketplace.[11]
On February 18, 2022, co-founder and CEO from the beginning, Jonas Tellander, stepped down from his position for personal reasons; he is on the board of directors.[13]
In August 2022, Johannes Larcher, a former executive at HBO, was appointed as Storytel's new CEO.[14]
References
edit- ^ "Audiobook streamer Storytel sees pandemic spurring subscriber growth". Business Insider.
- ^ "Storytel enters the U.S. with acquisition of Audiobooks.com". Reuters.
- ^ "Sweden's Storytel Continues Its Global Expansion". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
- ^ a b "Sweden's Storytel to enter four new markets". Reuters. March 24, 2017 – via www.reuters.com.
- ^ "Storytel køber bogtjenesten Mofibo | Mofibo". via.ritzau.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2021-10-13.
- ^ "Storytel opkøber forlaget People's Press". mediawatch.dk (in Danish). 2017-03-02. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
- ^ "Türkiye, 19 ülke içinde en hızlı büyüyen oldu". Ekonomist (in Turkish). 2020-04-28. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
- ^ "Kirjojen suoratoistopalvelu Storytel ostaa Suomen kolmanneksi suurimman kustantamon Gummeruksen". Helsingin Sanomat. 2019-09-17. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ^ "Storytel Purchases Majority Share in Forlagið, Iceland's Largest Publisher". July 3, 2020.
- ^ "Storytel has surpassed the milestone 1.5 million paying subscribers". Storytel.
- ^ a b Ruth Comerford (November 13, 2021). "Storytel extends into English language market with $135m Audiobooks deal". The Bookseller. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ Heloise Wood (April 11, 2017). "Newly formed RBmedia buys Audiobooks.com". The Bookseller. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
- ^ "Jonas Tellander to step down as Storytel CEO – search process for a new CEO initiated". Storytel. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
- ^ https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/international/international-book-news/article/90204-sweden-s-storytel-appoints-hbo-exec-as-ceo.html