When a thrilling moment occurs on the world stage—be it a major sporting event, an unexpected scandal, or the release of a hyped-up movie tipped to smash box office records—it usually finds its way onto Spotify in the form of music, playlists, and podcasts.

And when these cultural moments take flight on the platform, they can generate long-lasting impact and reach a global audience of over 640M people who crave deeper engagement.

When entertainment and digital audio converge

Last year, Spotify carried out research that drew a clear line between what TV and movie enthusiasts stream when they watch—and when they listen. For entertainment marketers, the research highlighted the potential of a well-planned and executed Spotify advertising campaign, no matter the demo being targeted.

This year, Spotify is going one step further, showing through its own first-party data just how influential this relationship really is.

Barbie girl in a Spotify world

You don’t have to cast your mind back far to remember the biggest cinematic splash of the year. On July 21, both Barbie (2023) and Oppenheimer (2023) graced the screens in a thrilling head-to-head (lest we forget “Barbenheimer”) that generated north of $230 million in U.S. ticket sales over a single weekend.

Barbie pulled in huge numbers in theaters nationwide, and the next day fans took to Spotify to show their appreciation. In the U.S. alone, streams of the Barbie Official Playlist increased by more than 1,800% on July 22—driving several of the movie’s most memorable anthems to blow up in equally seismic proportions. In the U.S, streams of “Spice Up Your Life” by Spice Girls peaked at +190%, while “WATATI (feat. Aldo Ranks) [From Barbie The Album]” by KAROL G came in close second at +180%. There were also huge upticks for Aqua’s iconic “Barbie Girl”, as well as Dua Lipa’s “Dance The Night [From Barbie The Album]”, tracking at +170% and +105%, respectively.¹

And to top if off, “Barbie The Album” was the number one most-streamed newly released album globally on Spotify from July 21-July 23, with “I’m Just Ken” by Ryan Gosling (#8) and “Man I Am” by Sam Smith (#10) both entering the top ten of the weekend's Top Songs Debut Global chart.²

Stranger streams have happened

For entertainment marketers, the streaming numbers hit by Barbie highlight the opportunity to reach avid movie lovers with a timely message—but the mesmerizing powers of TV are not to be overlooked, either.

In June this year, Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify—the latest milestone hit since it went hyper-viral following last summer’s Netflix release of Stranger Things 4 (2022). On the day after the show’s premiere, Spotify streams of the ’80s hit increased by more than 8,700% globally and an even more impressive +9,900% in the U.S.³

A passion for podcasts

Soundtracks provide fans with a way of reveling in the joy of the movie or show they’ve just watched—but podcasts let them dive deeper into every scene and relive the moments that triggered a strong emotional response they’d like to feel again.

A case in point: Back in May 2023, engagement with the podcast topic Succession spiked on Spotify at +2,833% after the “Tailgate Party” episode, and again in June at +267%, following the Season 4 finale.⁴

It’s not all about storylines, either. Fans also flock to podcasts when momentous events in the entertainment space happen off-screen. TV buffs aren’t forgetting “Scandoval” anytime soon, least of all those who tuned into podcasts about Vanderpump Rules in March 2023, when—in the immediate aftermath of the story—Spotify podcast streams for the topic peaked at +608%. The same trend emerged following the season finale in May, with podcast streams spiking after searches for the topic peaked on Google, extending the duration of the conversation well beyond the date of the final episode.⁵

And it’s not just TV and theater screens that get people reaching for their favorite pod—major sporting events pull in the numbers, too. On Spotify, the NBA Finals surged to a +505% increase in podcast topic engagement May through June, and to a staggering +11,148% increase following the NBA All-Star game in February.⁶

Meet your audience in a state of immersion

By planning well in advance for pop culture moments likely to grab the world’s attention, entertainment marketers have an opportunity to show up with their own message before, during and after the main event. Spotify is where audiences go to re-immerse themselves in those moments—whether that’s replaying a movie’s soundtrack, embracing the song that made an epic episode of their favorite show, or to deepen their knowledge and perspective through podcasts. In fact, our recent Culture Next report revealed that 78% of Gen Zs in the U.S. agree that Spotify brings people deeper into culture.⁷

Spotify’s advertising solutions include playlist sponsorship, video takeover, and title-by-title podcast buying, which allows advertisers to align their brand with influential hosts and run voice talent ads or host-read ads for greater impact. In addition, the Spotify Audience Network enables advertisers to scale their reach across Spotify’s network of premium podcasts, whether their audience is listening on Spotify or another platform. And Spotify Ad Analytics—a powerful and completely free service—helps them measure the impact of their ads at every stage of the marketing funnel.

If entertainment advertisers want to reach engaged audiences primed to hear about the next blockbuster or the latest on a moment that’s blowing up, it’s essential to meet them on a platform that reflects and amplifies pop culture. And with over half a billion monthly active users globally, Spotify offers brands the possibility to scale and soar as high as the culture-driven trends seen on its platform.