TuneIn Radio is going to be closing their audiobook section on January 15th 2018. Any content that you have downloaded or are in the process of listening to will be removed on that date. Tunein was one of the last companies to offer an unlimited amount of audiobook content for a small monthly subscription fee.
TuneIn launched their audiobook service in 2015 and had 40,000 titles in their digital catalog and one year later they had over 65,000 titles. They sourced their entire collection from Findaway, which also powers Scribd and Nook Audiobooks. TuneIn simply couldn’t make the economics of a subscription system work for audiobooks, which they had to pay a fee every time someone listened to a specific title. They also suffered from poor brand visibility, they never issued news or audiobook promotional campaigns and many people were unaware they even offered a service. The company also stated that there will be no refunds.
TuneIn emailed Good e-Reader and said the following “TuneIn will no longer be offering audiobooks as part of our premium content package. For our users whom consume audiobooks, the usage was not large enough to continue offering this content as part of the TuneIn service. As we continue to strive to provide the world’s best listening experience, we are continuously working to improve the types and quality of content we offer. As of January 15th, 2018, we will no longer be offering audiobooks as part of our premium package. We hope you will come to enjoy our other premium content like 24/7 live streaming and commercial-free news with MSNBC, plus all the music channels and live sporting events throughout the holidays.”
The big focus for TuneIn in 2018 will be their radio stations, podcasts and partnerships with Major League Baseball and the Premier League so that you can listen to live play-by-play baseball and soccer games. The company is also has a myriad of team-specific stations with analysis on these games.
If you are a Tunein refugee, the only other companies offering an unlimited audiobook service is Amazon Kindle Unlimited and Playster.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
