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Audible Begins RSS Delivery of the World's Leading Periodic Audio ContentWAYNE, N.J. --(Business Wire)-- June 24, 2005 -- Audible enables podcasting of periodic programming such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, This American Life and Charlie Rose Audible, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBL, www.audible.com), the leader in spoken audio information and entertainment on the Internet, today announced that its wide selection of periodic audio content can now be delivered to its customers via secure Really Simple Syndication (RSS), while maintaining all the state-of-the-art technology, ecommerce and customer-friendly attributes of Audible's award-winning service. Audible customers can schedule automatic delivery of their periodic programming to their computers and to any one of more than 135 AudibleReady(R) handheld devices. Initially available only to Audible customers and content partners, this is the first in a series of Audible tools to be introduced this year that are intended to support the publishing of podcasts in an environment that delivers maximum value to content creators and the best user experience to listeners. Audible is the world's leading online service that enables customers to download their favorite digital audiobooks, comedy, drama, radio programs, and audio editions of newspapers and magazines for playback on the Apple(R) iPod(R) or any AudibleReady(R) handheld MP3 players. Audible customers can still receive their periodic programs through Audible's current delivery methods, but now have the additional option to use personal Audible RSS feeds for up-to-date delivery of their Audible content simply by installing software that supports the delivery of podcasts, such as iPodder, Doppler, NewsGator Online, FeedDemon or NetNewsWire. "We've been delivering digitally downloadable spoken audio to hundreds of thousands of listeners for many years now. During this time, we have continually looked for advancements in digital audio technology that would improve our listeners' experience," said Donald Katz, CEO and chairman of Audible Inc. "We believe podcasting is an advancement that will make digital spoken audio more accessible and manageable for content creators and listeners around the world." "There are three companies that have the potential to be huge in podcasting and in creating this new medium," said Adam Curry, creator of iPodder and host of Daily Source Code. "Apple, Microsoft and definitely Audible." "We've only just begun the process of enabling content partners of all sizes to podcast on the Audible platform," Mr. Katz added. "Over the coming months, podcasters will have increased access to new infrastructure, tools and proprietary technologies that Audible has developed over the years to empower content creators to turn their digital audio into sustainable revenue streams." "Providing RSS delivery of The New York Times Audio Digest to iPods and MP3 players is testament to Audible's focus and commitment to improving the digital spoken audio experience for both publishers and consumers," said Tom Carley, senior vice president of planning at The New York Times. "This innovative distribution is a great fit with our strategy of making Times content available on each platform that emerging technologies provide." "NewsGator Online and FeedDemon now support advanced podcatching capabilities through 'FeedStation,' announced today at Gnomedex," said J.B. Holston, president and CEO of NewsGator. "We welcome Audible's members who are interested in receiving their content through our online system and FeedDemon using 'FeedStation', and we're looking forward to offering NewsGator customers unique Audible offers too." The periodic content distributed by Audible today includes world-class programming such as: BBC News Hour, Car Talk, Charlie Rose, C-SPAN, Fast Company, Forbes Magazine, Fresh Air, JazzTimes, Harvard Business Review, Latino USA, Marketplace, MSNBC, News from Lake Wobegon, Scientific American, Science News, Technology Review, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The World, This American Life, and To the Best of Our Knowledge. About Audible Inc.: Audible(R) (www.audible.com(R)) is the leader in spoken audio information and entertainment on the Internet. Content from Audible is downloaded and played back on personal computers, CDs, or AudibleReady(R) computer-based mobile devices. Audible has more than 70,000 hours of audio programs from more than 224 content partners that include leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible.com is Amazon.com's and the Apple iTunes Music Store's preeminent provider of spoken-word products for downloading or streaming via the Web. Additionally, the Company is strategically aligned with Random House, Inc. in the first-ever imprint to produce spoken-word content specifically suited for digital distribution, Random House Audible. Among the Company's key business relationships are Apple Corp., Hewlett-Packard Company, Microsoft Corporation, palmOne, Inc., XM Satellite Radio, PhatNoise Inc., Rio Audio, Creative Labs, Texas Instruments Inc., and VoiceAge Corporation. This press release contains information about Audible, Inc. that is not historical fact and may be deemed to contain forward-looking statements about the company. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, Audible's limited operating history, history of losses, uncertain market for its services, and its inability to license or produce compelling audio content and other risks and uncertainties detailed in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. |
