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Apple to Offer 'Spoken Editions' of Written News on iTunes [Update: Now Live]

Friday September 23, 2016 4:32 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple is planning on turning news stories and articles from popular news sites into audio podcasts called "Spoken Editions," reports TechCrunch. Spoken Editions will be short broadcasts that transform content from publishers into spoken word instead of written word, making it possible for customers to listen to their favorite news sites.

An early leak on iTunes suggests Apple has already teamed up with several publishers, including Wired, TIME, and Forbes, offering dedicated "Spoken Edition" sections on company iTunes pages.

spokeneditions
Wired, for example, will launch Spoken Editions for "Business," "Science," and its homepage. TIME has will offer a Spoken Edition called "The Brief." Forbes, .Mic, Bustle, Playboy, OZY, and - yep - TechCrunch (which I discovered while browsing our iTunes page, of all things), will have Spoken Editions, it seems, as all popped up for a time on iTunes.

The links to all the publishers' Spoken Editions have since been pulled, after our discovery and outreach.
Some digging by TechCrunch suggests many of the publishers' Spoken Edition podcasts were created by SpokenLayer, a company that creates streaming audio and podcasts for media brands using text. SpokenLayer already works with a host of publishers like Forbes, Huffington Post, TIME, Reuters, and more, with audio recordings distributed on iTunes, SoundCloud, and other sources.

Spoken Editions will include audio ads, with revenue shared between the publisher and SpokenLayer, and the company makes an effort to make sure each brand sounds unique. "We make sure Wired sounds like Wired and any other publication sounds like those publications," SpokenLayer CEO Will Mayo told TechCrunch.

Spoken Editions are set to launch soon, rolling out in early October.

Update 10/3: Spoken Editions are now live.

Tags: iTunes, Spoken Editions
[ 36 comments ]


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SandboxGeneral
34 months ago
So, is MacRumors going to get a "Spoken Edition" too?
Rating: 8 Votes
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djcerla
34 months ago
BGR will get a special Shouted Edition.
Rating: 8 Votes
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thisisnotmyname
34 months ago
Could be nice as an accessibility option or for commuters to hear their news as they walk/drive.
Rating: 5 Votes
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sshambles
34 months ago
Will only buy if spoken by Morgan Freeman and David Attenborough.
Rating: 5 Votes
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Weaselboy
34 months ago

So, is MacRumors going to get a "Spoken Edition" too?

Only in the US. :p:D
Rating: 3 Votes
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polterbyte
34 months ago
wats da big deel wit reedin eneewey?
Rating: 2 Votes
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The Mad Hatter
34 months ago

BGR will get a special Shouted Edition.


As long as the comment section was included ... Man, some of those comments in audio form ... WOW :eek:;)
Rating: 2 Votes
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entropys
34 months ago

Will only buy if spoken by Morgan Freeman and David Attenborough.

What about Scarlett Johannsen? Actually I would settle for a synthesised Marilyn Monroe.

Of concern though, is who is doing the curation of what gets made available for this? Will they represent a true cross section of society?
Rating: 2 Votes
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ArtOfWarfare
34 months ago
This belongs in :apple:News, not in iTunes...
Rating: 2 Votes
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orbital~debris
34 months ago
Groundwork for the Apple home speaker/assistant device.
Rating: 2 Votes

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