Spotify’s exclusive listening data shows Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone up 551% globally and Chamber of Secrets up over 1,200% in the U.S., as anticipation builds for HBO’s Harry Potter TV series this December.

Harry Potter Audiobook Streams Explode on Spotify

Nearly two decades after its first release, Harry Potter is proving it still has serious pull with audiences, this time in audio form. Spotify has shared exclusive data with PEOPLE revealing a massive surge in listens for the series since the full seven-book audiobook catalog became available to Premium subscribers on July 1.

Global streams of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone rose by 551% in its first week alone on the platform. In the United States, listens for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets climbed even further, up more than 1,200% over the same period, according to Spotify’s release.

Spotify Launches “Series Linking” for Multi-Book Franchises

Alongside the listening data, Spotify unveiled a new feature called Series Linking, built to help listeners move seamlessly through multi-book franchises like Harry Potter. The tool:

• Flags when an audiobook is part of a series
• Links directly to the other books and author pages in one place
• Automatically recommends the next book once a listener finishes the current one

In practice, that means new Harry Potter listeners are guided straight from Sorcerer’s Stone into Chamber of Secrets without needing to search for it themselves, a detail Spotify says is designed to keep fans immersed in the story from book to book.

Why the Timing Matters: HBO’s Harry Potter Series Arrives in December

The surge in audiobook listens comes as anticipation builds for HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter television adaptation, premiering in December. The eight-episode first season adapts Philosopher’s Stone, with each subsequent season expected to cover one book from the series.

Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alistair Stout lead the cast as Harry, Hermione, and Ron, joined by John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu, Nick Frost, Katherine Parkinson, and Bel Powley.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone premieres on HBO in December

Source: PEOPLE