Members can now access episodic short-form audio programming with
Audible Channels, and a rotating selection of audiobooks, free with Prime
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep. 13, 2016--
(NASDAQ:AMZN)—Amazon and Audible today announced a new premium
spoken-word benefit for Prime members in the U.S. Members now enjoy
unlimited free access to the new short-form digital audio service,
Audible Channels, as well as a rotating selection of more than 50
audiobooks from Audible’s catalog. Audible Channels for Prime now joins
the growing list of all-you-can-eat benefits for Prime members including
guaranteed unlimited fast, free shipping, unlimited access to Prime
Video, Prime Music, Prime Photos, early access to Lightning Deals and
more. Prime members can access Audible Channels for Prime by downloading
the Audible app for iOS, Android, and Windows 10. To learn more about
Audible Channels for Prime, please visit www.amazon.com/audiblechannels.
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Audible Channels for Prime (Photo: Business Wire)
“As a longtime Audible member, I cannot wait for Prime members to
discover this new premium spoken-word experience—for free,” said Greg
Greeley, Vice President, Prime. “Tens of millions of members in the U.S.
already enjoy the many benefits of Prime including unlimited fast, free
Prime shipping, Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Photos, and exclusive
products and discounts. Prime provides a one-of-a-kind digital-physical
hybrid benefit experience and now members can add Audible Channels and
audiobooks to their daily habits.”
Audible Channels
Introduced this year, Audible Channels features a consistently
refreshed, thoughtfully organized selection of original programs,
distinctive comedy, lectures, and audio editions of standout articles
and news from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Harvard
Business Review, Foreign Affairs, Charlie Rose, McSweeney’s,
The Onion, and other leading periodicals. Audible Channels also
showcases 20 hand-selected Audible Playlists, from essential stories of
the day, meditation and commute-sized comedy to compilations on science,
history, technology and more. Now free for Prime members, Audible
Channels is otherwise available to purchase for $4.95 a month or the
equivalent of $59.40 per year.
The lineup of ad-free programming includes:
-
Presidents are People Too!, a series that transforms U.S.
Presidents into real-life people complete with quirks, flaws,
triumphs, scandals and bodily ailments, hosted by former “The Daily
Show” head writer Elliott Kalan and American historian Alexis Coe
-
Bedtime Stories for Cynics, inappropriate children’s stories
for adults only, presented by Nick Offerman of “Parks and Recreation”
fame
-
Hold On with Eugene Mirman, in which Mirman pauses funny live
stories and gets his special comedian guests, including Jim Gaffigan
and “Weird Al” Yankovic to divulge new details
-
Limelight, highlighting the best new standup performances from
comedy clubs across the country, with rotating guest hosts such as T.
J. Miller, Ron Funches and the Sklar Brothers
-
Lectures from The Great Courses
Prime members will also discover the first episodes or previews of
the following original programs, subsequent episodes of which they’ll be
able to explore and enjoy for free in the coming months:
-
The Butterfly Effect, hosted by Jon Ronson, which explores the
question, what happens when we expect things for free?
-
Ponzi Supernova, a fascinating look at Bernard Madoff, the man
behind the largest Ponzi scheme in history, featuring exclusive
jailhouse interviews with Madoff himself
-
Damned Spot, a series that examines the afterlife of places
defined by tragic events
-
West Cork, a true crime series about an unsolved society
murder, set on the south coast of Ireland
-
Extra Credit with Neal Pollack, in which the author, musician
and comedian takes his 13-year-old son’s education into his own hands,
and hilarity ensues
New original programs will be introduced regularly.
Audible Playlists include:
-
Get Smart, in which Audible editors scour the world to unearth
uncommon knowledge that will make you the most interesting person you
know
-
Punchlines, your front-row seat to comedy clubs across America
(without the two-drink minimum)
-
Science This, in which Audible editors uncover the accessible
and fascinating science that connects you to your universe
-
Impact, your source of insights, commentary and reporting to
give perspective, meaning and context to the news
“The ultimate mission of Audible Channels is to invent new ways to
unleash the power of well-composed and artfully spoken words,” said Don
Katz, Audible founder and CEO. “As millions of people every year
discover the joy and utility of quality listening, Audible Channels will
be the place where superior short-form audio information and
entertainment captures and conveys a compelling sense of the world for
daily consumption in fast-twitch time. We’re thrilled to make this
evolving listening innovation available to Prime members.”
Free Audiobook Selection for Prime Members
Prime members will also be able to stream a rotating selection of more
than 50 premium audiobooks, across nine Prime-exclusive channels,
including:
-
Top-rated audiobooks across a range of genres, such as Mary Kubica’s The
Good Girl, Karl Marlantes’ What It Is Like to Go to War,
Matthew Quick’s The Silver Linings Playbook, Anne Lamott’s Stitches
and Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game Alive
-
Celebrity-narrated classics, such as Scarlett Johansson’s performance
of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Rosamund Pike’s narration
of Pride and Prejudice, and a full-cast recording of Dracula,
starring Alan Cumming
-
Shared listening experiences for the family, including Clifford the
Big Red Dog, Winnie-the-Pooh, and The Velveteen Rabbit
More to Prime
Tens of millions of Prime members around the world enjoy the many
benefits of Prime. In the U.S., that includes unlimited Free Two-Day
Shipping on more than 30 million items across all categories, unlimited
Free Same-Day Delivery on more than a million items in 27 major cities
and one and two-hour delivery with Prime Now on tens of thousands of
items available in more than 25 metro areas. In addition to fast, free
Prime shipping, members have access to unlimited streaming of tens of
thousands of movies and TV episodes with Prime Video, more than one
million songs and thousands of curated playlists and stations with Prime
Music, early access to select Lightning Deals all year long, free secure
unlimited photo storage with Prime Photos and one free pre-released book
a month with Kindle First. To learn more or start a free 30-day trial of
Amazon Prime, visit www.amazon.com/prime.
About AUDIBLE, INC.
Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com,
Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading provider of premium
digital spoken audio information and entertainment, offering customers a
new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible was created
to unleash the emotive music in language and the habituating power and
utility of verbal expression. Audible content includes more than 300,000
audio programs from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters,
entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business
information providers. Audible serves millions of listeners around the
world through dedicated Audible sites in the UK, Germany, France,
Australia, Japan and Italy. Audible is also the preeminent provider of
spoken-word audio products for Apple’s iTunes Store.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than
competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational
excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping,
personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle
Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa
are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more
information, visit amazon.com/about.

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Source: Amazon.com, Inc.
Amazon.com, Inc.
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