Overdrive

What Overdrive does

OverDrive, Inc. is a privately held digital content distribution platform that delivers ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and streaming video to public libraries, K-12 schools, academic institutions, and professional/corporate libraries worldwide. Founded in 1986 in Cleveland, Ohio by Steve Potash, the company originally digitized law books and distributed content on floppy diskettes before evolving into the operator of one of the world's largest institutional digital content catalogs, with over 2 million titles and a customer base of 92,000+ libraries and schools across 115 countries.

The company's product architecture is a two-sided platform-plus-apps model. OverDrive Marketplace serves as the B2B procurement layer where institutional buyers curate and manage digital collections. Consumer-facing apps include Libby for public and academic library patrons, Sora for K-12 student reading, and Kanopy for video streaming. Supporting services include TeachingBooks.net (supplemental K-12 educational materials) and OverDrive Academic (higher education). The platform connects publishers (over 30,000 distribution partners including Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Macmillan) to institutional buyers through DRM-protected distribution workflows.

The company generates revenue from institutional subscription fees for digital content access, commissions on publisher sales through OverDrive Marketplace, and licensing fees for distribution rights. Pricing is quote-based and aligned with institution size, content selection, and lending model (metered access, one-copy-one-user, class sets), typically on multi-year contracts. OverDrive was acquired by Rakuten in 2015, briefly rebranded Rakuten OverDrive, and was returned to original management around 2025. Following a planned succession, founder Steve Potash moved to Chairman of the Board in June 2026 and Marc DeBevoise (former CEO of Brightcove, former CDO of Paramount Global) was appointed CEO. The company is B Corporation certified (since 2017), has L Squared Capital Partners involvement, and reported 860 million+ digital titles borrowed and 1.1 billion+ Kanopy streaming minutes in 2025.

Name

Overdrive

Legal name

OverDrive, Inc.

Website

https://company.overdrive.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

OverDrive is a Cleveland-based digital content distribution platform serving 92,000+ libraries and schools in 115 countries with ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and streaming video via its Libby, Sora, Kanopy, and OverDrive Marketplace products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Content Distribution Platform for Libraries and Schools

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Book Publishers (513130), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

Library & Education Audiobook Distribution (Public Libraries, Schools, Academic) (MPAJAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Reading Content & eBooks (Leveled Readers, Libraries) (EDAFACAH), Audiobook Distribution & Aggregation (To Retailers/Libraries) (MPAJAIAC), eBook & Digital Reading Platforms (BPAMAJAK), E-books, Digital Content & Licensing Distribution (CRAOALAE)

Keywords

• Digital library distribution
• Ebook lending platform
• Audiobook distribution
• K-12 reading apps
• Institutional content licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Library/School Subscriptions: OverDrive generates revenue primarily through subscription fees charged to libraries and schools for access to digital content catalogs. Institutions pay based on their size and content needs, with various lending models including metered access, one-copy-one-user, and class sets.
2. Publisher Marketplace Commission: OverDrive takes a commission on digital content sales through its OverDrive Marketplace, facilitating transactions between publishers and institutional buyers.
3. Content Licensing: Licensing fees from publishers for distribution rights to deliver ebooks, audiobooks, magazines and video content to library and school partners globally.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

OverDrive distributes digital content including ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and streaming video to libraries and schools worldwide through its OverDrive Marketplace B2B platform, with consumer-facing reader apps Libby (public libraries) and Sora (K-12 schools), the Kanopy streaming service, and TeachingBooks.net educational resources. The company provides secure DRM-protected content management, catalog curation, multilingual interfaces, and analytics for institutional buyers, while serving as the global distribution channel for thousands of publishers reaching the institutional market.

Product overview

OverDrive operates as a platform-plus-apps architecture serving the digital library market. The core OverDrive platform serves as the B2B content distribution infrastructure (OverDrive Marketplace) for institutional buyers, while the consumer-facing app portfolio includes Libby (general library reading), Sora (K-12 student reading), and Kanopy (video streaming). Supporting services include TeachingBooks.net (supplemental educational materials) and OverDrive Academic (higher education division). The platform connects publishers to 92,000+ libraries and schools across 115 countries, offering over 2 million ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and films.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Libby: Library reading app for ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines
• Sora
• Kanopy
• TeachingBooks

Products and services

• Libby Consumer-facing library reading app that lets patrons of public libraries borrow and read ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines. Supports cross-device sync, automatic returns (no late fees), multilingual interface, and discovery of library digital collections.
• Sora Student-facing reading app for K-12 schools that delivers digital books, audiobooks, magazines, and class sets to support curriculum and recreational reading, with reading analytics and integration with TeachingBooks.
• Kanopy Video streaming service for public libraries and academic institutions offering documentaries, films, and educational video. Access is available at no cost with a library card via subscription or pay-per-use models.
• TeachingBooks.net Supplemental educational platform for K-12 schools providing book guides, author interviews, video resources, and curriculum-aligned content that integrates with Sora to support literacy instruction.
• OverDrive Marketplace B2B catalog and digital content distribution platform that allows libraries and schools to browse, select, curate, and manage their digital collections from millions of titles in 100+ languages, with DRM-protected fulfillment.
• OverDrive Academic OverDrive's division serving academic libraries at two- and four-year colleges and universities worldwide, providing customized digital collections of ebooks and audiobooks with 24/7 support through the Libby platform.
• OverDrive Digital Reading Platform OverDrive's core digital reading platform that delivers the industry's largest catalog of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and streaming video to libraries and schools worldwide.

Quantifiable outcome

• 860 million+ digital titles borrowed in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• EBSCO Information ServicescoreTechnology or Integration · 10 June 2026Integration connecting OverDrive's ebooks and audiobooks on Libby directly to EBSCO's Knowledge Base and Discovery Service for academic libraries. Allows librarians to automatically populate OverDrive collections into their catalogs while enabling students and faculty to discover digital content alongside other library resources in one unified interface. The partnership streamlines digital collection management workflows.
• Follett ContentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025Partnership between Follett Content and Sora student reading app to enhance digital and print reading resources for PreK-12 educational institutions. Collaboration aims to improve access to digital books and streamline content discovery for educators and librarians.
• TeachingBooks.netcoreOthers · 7 October 2021OverDrive acquired TeachingBooks.net, a provider of supplemental educational materials. The acquisition enhances OverDrive's Sora app and provides extensive resources to K-12 schools worldwide, benefiting over 55,000 schools and 24 million students.
• KanopycoreOthers · 10 June 2021OverDrive acquired Kanopy, a video streaming service for libraries, adding over 30,000 films to OverDrive's digital content offerings. Integration enhances digital content offerings for libraries and educational institutions globally.
• Penguin Random HousecoreOthersDistribution partnership for ebooks and audiobooks through OverDrive's platform to library and school markets globally
• HarperCollins PublisherscoreOthersDistribution partnership for ebooks and audiobooks through OverDrive's platform to library and school markets globally
• Simon & SchustercoreOthersDistribution partnership for ebooks and audiobooks through OverDrive's platform to library and school markets globally
• Hachette Book GroupcoreOthersDistribution partnership for ebooks and audiobooks through OverDrive's platform to library and school markets globally
• MacmillancoreOthersDistribution partnership for ebooks and audiobooks through OverDrive's platform to library and school markets globally
• ScholasticcoreOthersDistribution partnership for ebooks and audiobooks through OverDrive's platform to library and school markets globally
• John Wiley & SonscoreOthersDistribution partnership for ebooks and audiobooks through OverDrive's platform to library and school markets globally
• SourcebookscoreOthersDistribution partnership for ebooks and audiobooks through OverDrive's platform to library and school markets globally

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• OCLC: OCLC operates the WorldCat catalog and library cooperative infrastructure that OverDrive integrates with, making it a critical ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor but central to library discovery workflows that OverDrive depends on.

Direct peers

• Baker & Taylor (Collection HQ): Baker & Taylor is a long-standing library content distributor with collection development and digital services (Collection HQ, Axis 360) that directly competes with OverDrive Marketplace on physical and digital supply to public and academic libraries.
• Bibliotheca / cloudLibrary: Bibliotheca (owner of cloudLibrary) is a direct competitor in library ebook and audiobook lending, offering similar digital catalog services to public and academic libraries with comparable lending-model flexibility.
• Hoopla Digital: Hoopla Digital provides on-demand digital lending (ebooks, audiobooks, comics, music, video) to public libraries through a metered-per-patron model, directly competing with OverDrive's Libby for the same public library customers and publisher content.
• Epic! (Epic Books): Epic! is a direct competitor to OverDrive's Sora app in K-12 digital reading, offering age-banded ebook and audiobook access to elementary and middle school students via school and library subscriptions.
• ProQuest / Ex Libris (Clarivate): ProQuest and its Ex Libris division serve academic and research libraries with ebooks, dissertations, and discovery services, directly overlapping OverDrive Academic on the higher-education side of OverDrive's institutional customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Scribd: Scribd operates a consumer subscription ebook and audiobook platform with library partnerships (Scribd for Libraries), competing for end-user reading time and providing OverDrive libraries with an alternative consumer destination.
• EBSCO Information Services: EBSCO provides discovery, research databases, and ebooks to academic and school libraries - both a partner (via the 2026 Knowledge Base integration with Libby) and a broader incumbent overlapping OverDrive Academic on digital collection management.
• Gale (Cengage Learning): Gale provides databases, ebooks, and digital reference materials to public, school, and academic libraries, overlapping with OverDrive on institutional ebook distribution and library research services.
• Amazon (Kindle/Audible for Libraries): Amazon powers Kindle library lending and Audible for libraries and is both an OverDrive content partner and a structural competitive threat given its consumer brand, pricing power, and direct publisher relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DigitalBookDownloads
• Facebookfacebook.com/OverDriveForLibraries
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/overdrive1
• Instagraminstagram.com/overdrive.inc_
• Pinterestpinterest.com/overdrivelibs
• Xx.com/OverDriveInc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A4 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Overdrive