The Weeknd's Concert Film Gets 48-Hour Spotify Exclusive as Platform Expands Video Strategy
The Weeknd debuts an exclusive 45-minute concert film on Spotify, marking a significant expansion of the platform's video content strategy. The special is part of Spotify's "Billions Club: The Series," which celebrates artists achieving 1 billion streams on a single track.
The Weeknd performing in concert
Unlike previous Billions Club episodes featuring Ed Sheeran and Miley Cyrus that ran for six minutes, The Weeknd's concert film represents a major strategic shift with its extended runtime. Produced by OBB Pictures, the film includes exclusive voiceover elements from the artist and will remain exclusive to Spotify for 48 hours.
This release comes amid Spotify's aggressive push into video content, following their official launch of the video-podcast-focused Partner Program in January. The platform's video expansion faces several challenges:
- Content moderation issues, including unauthorized uploads and adult content
- Confusion between podcast and video content categorization
- Competition with YouTube, which recently became the leading podcast platform in the US
- Quality control concerns with non-music audio content
The special features The Weeknd, who currently boasts 117 million monthly Spotify listeners, and was filmed during a live concert in Los Angeles. The concert film is prominently featured at the top of search results for The Weeknd on Spotify, maximizing visibility during its exclusive window.
Spotify's video content strategy continues to evolve, with recent additions including full episodes of popular TV shows and partnerships with content providers like Cineverse, though these remain categorized as podcasts on the platform.
Crowd at Africa Oye festival
Temasek Headquarters building with trees