The digital audio market is entering a new phase of expansion driven by the evolution of Spoken Content—a category that includes podcasts, radio streaming, and, most recently, Spoken Articles: written articles transformed into audio through text-to-speech (TTS) and artificial intelligence technologies.
Today, audio is no longer just a complementary channel—it’s a multiplier of attention and trust. Research shows that 48% of listeners transfer the credibility of the content to the related advertising, while social media suffers from a lack of credibility. The key to Spoken Content’s advantage is authenticity1. The messenger is crucial to the success of the message, and Voice is crucial for the success of message. This is true also for Spoken Article! A pleasant voice, and an accurate reading without pronunciation errors are the main points for listeners of Text-to-Speech.
Audio can be more powerful than visual. Spoken Contents encourages people to search online for information, to purchase online, to purchase online or to post or share online the product, 42% make an offline purchase.2
In the Digital Audio 2.0 Research, Spoken Articles are the fastest-growing audio channel—recognized by 53% of users and listened to by 33%, representing a potential audience of over 10 million users in Italy.3 This is the first survey globally with some specific insights referring to Text-to-Speech.
Difference between Spoken Articles and Podcasts
Audioboost’s analysis Audience, also reveals why Spoken Articles differ from podcasts in both usage context and motivation: Spoken Articles fulfill an immediate informational need—a “listen or leave” situation—whereas podcasts are consumed during moments of relaxation or multitasking. Spoken Articles capture maximum attention in a few minutes, while podcasts provide long-form engagement. These two behaviors do not overlap—listeners of Spoken Articles and podcasts are distinct, non-competing audiences.
Why Spoken Articles should consider a new audio channel
From an advertising perspective, this creates the ideal conditions for audience extension: every listener is unique, and each stream represents an exclusive exposure to both content and ads. Consequently, audio must have a stable place in every media mix, supported by a true Audio Strategy that plans channels according to Reach, Incremental Audience, and Frequency, avoiding duplication issues common to other media. Today, with attention-based metrics at the core of media measurement, audio becomes a strategic driver for publishers and brands alike, marking the transition from the podcast era to that of intelligent Spoken Content.
How Audioboost enbodies Spoken Contents principals
Audioboost, through its proprietary platform Speakup-Article™, has industrialized the production and monetization of Spoken Contents by combining AI voice models, semantic and structural text analysis, and a patented Adtech engine that optimizes contextual ad placement and frequency. Focused on the best possible experience for listeners, Audioboost’s AI-Vocal models improve upon any standard text-to-speech available from traditional providers, correctly reading abbreviations, acronyms, foreign words, and people’s names while recognizing semantic context.
The company has deployed over 500 million players across 300 domains, generating a library of more than 2.8 million Spoken Articles and reaching 70 million unique monthly visitors. In Italy, Audioboost commands an estimated 50% market share in the Spoken Article segment—and is the only player capable of integrating contextual audio planning within this channel.