Deutsche Welle and AudioNow Announce First Amharic App to Expand Global Connectivity

Deutsche Welle, Germany’s international broadcaster, in partnership with AudioNow®, today launched an audio-only app that will allow users to listen to DW’s Amharic programming anywhere over data globally, in addition to cellular voice connections where available.

 

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DW Amharic, which is available on Apple and Android platforms, will provide both live and on-demand programming so that audiences around the globe can download programs over WiFi and listen to DW content when it is most convenient.

The app‘s additional features provide an immersive experience that expands audience participation and communication: listener-controlled bandwidth management; push notifications from the station; social share functionality among listeners; and, in a future release, flash polling.

“We are very excited about this latest initiative, undertaken jointly with AudioNow®, to make our programs even more accessible to listeners around the globe. The US market in particular is very important for us as the Ethiopian diaspora there is very vocal and influential” says DW Amharic’s program manager Ludger Schadomsky.

“This app caters to both diaspora and local audiences, by offering audiences options in how they choose to listen to breaking news, feature stories and other programs they depend on from Deutsche Welle,” says Alexandra Moe, Director of Strategic Partnerships at AudioNow®. “We’re excited to expand DW Amharic news closer to home, and give the diaspora more ways to engage with the station.”

ABOUT Deutsche Welle

Deutsche Welle (DW) is Germany’s international broadcaster and a trusted source for reliable, unbiased news and information. DW delivers the latest insights and analysis of the issues that are moving the world with regional television lineups and radio and online content available in 30 different languages. For more information, please contact amharic@dw.com

About AudioNow®

AudioNow®, based in Washington, DC, is the leading call-to-listen platform in the world. With broadcast partners on every continent, AudioNow® extends the reach of radio by connecting mobile listeners to their favorite radio stations through a simple telephone call. The AudioNow platform uses proprietary “HD” voice design and patent-pending technology that serves all mobile platforms. AudioNow® has more than 2,900 broadcast partners, including global leaders such as the United Nations, BBC, RFI, Deutsche Welle, Voice of America, Entravision, C-SPAN and IMG College. In 2014, there were in excess of 100 million unique sessions into the AudioNow® platform, enabling these broadcasters to extend their reach with content in 96 different languages, and across 130 different nationalities and ethnic groups. AudioNow® delivered an incremental 2.5 billion listening minutes to its broadcast partners last year. For more information, please contact Rebecca Walker at rebecca.walker@audionow.com.