Apple Who? Spotify Extends it's lead with 100 million paid Subscribers

NBC News —Spotify reported a better-than-expected rise in first-quarter revenue on Monday as the music streaming company hit 100 million paid subscribers for its premium service, sending its shares up nearly 5 percent.

The global leader in the sector, with double the number of subscribers of nearest rival Apple Music, Spotify has launched in regions like India, Middle East and North Africa in recent months, seeking to fuel the next stage of its development as it continues to price aggressively in the developed world.

Premium or paying subscribers at the end of the quarter were 100 million, up from 75 million a year earlier. Analysts were expecting the company to have 99 million paid subscribers.

Revenue rose 33 percent to 1.51 billion euros ($1.69 billion), beating analysts' estimates of 1.47 billion euros, according to IBES data from financial analysis firm Refinitiv.

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