Spotify is doubling down on podcasts, with the acquisition of podcasting companies: Gimlet and Anchor.

Company CEO Daniel Ek believes that, in the not-to-distant future, podcasts will represent more than 20 per cent of Spotify users' regular listening. The purchase of the content creation company Gimlet will provide its own studio, while Anchor gives it a platform for podcasters to build and share work through the streaming platform.

Where Spotify can offer a better home to podcasts than rivals is in its discovery and personalisation options for users, and monetisation services to creators.

"Just as we’ve done with music, our work in podcasting will focus intensively on the curation and customisation that users have come to expect from Spotify," wrote Ek in a blog post about the acquisition.

"We will offer better discovery, data, and monetisation to creators. These acquisitions will meaningfully accelerate our path to becoming the world’s leading audio platform, give users around the world access to the best podcast content, and improve the quality of our listening experience while enhancing the Spotify brand."

Spotify won't be leaving music behind, however. It is hoped that, by becoming the place to go for podcasts, it will bring in new users rather than restrict the listening behaviours of existing subscribers.

Either way, it seems that podcasts are coming back in force. And we heartily approve.