The service, available free to all Mail Plus subscribers, makes Weekend magazine available to download as an audio file from within the Mail Plus app. The magazine’s editorial content is recited in full by professional voice actors, bringing its content to life.
The new feature builds on the existing automated audio editions of the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday already available to Mail Plus subscribers through Amazon Alexa, a world first when launched in October last year, say the publishers. The audio edition of Weekend magazine is being launched in partnership with the RNIB’s Newsagent programme, which delivers a range of professionally-recited books and magazines to blind and partially-sighted people across the UK.
Simon Regan-Edwards, Production Director, Mail Plus said: “We are extremely proud that we have been able to work with the RNIB to support our efforts to produce the UK’s first professionally-narrated newspaper magazine. This recognises our dedication to providing more accessible options for all our subscribers and are confident that our readers will enjoy the rich and colourful presentation of Weekend’s award-winning content.”
Steve Tyler, Head of Solutions, RNIB, said: “The ability to continue reading can make a very real and significant difference to the lives of people living with sight loss and technology now allows blind and partially-sighted people ever more control over what they read and when. Initiatives like Mail Plus’ Weekend audio edition mean people can increasingly keep up with the same popular, current content that their friends and peers are reading, providing a valuable social lifeline.”
The Weekend audio edition is available free to all Mail Plus subscribers now through the Mail Plus app on iOS, Android and Amazon. Mail Plus subscriptions are available from £9.99 per month at mailsubscriptions.co.uk
