9Dots Media Launches AudioDots

9Dots Media has launched AudioDots, a text-to-speech solution that turns any story on any website into a digital audio experience.

Once publishers add the AudioDots widget to their website, the solution automatically translates text-based news items into audio streams and adds them to a constantly updated audio reel. At the same time, a "Read for me" button will be added to each story header in the mobile browser, enabling users to instantly switch to audio mode.

While geared primarily for consumers, AudioDots offers publishers a compelling new space in which to sell advertisements, be it pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll ad spots.

"Mobile advertising became the leading driver of digital ad spend last year," said 9Dots CEO Itay Rubinstein in a statement. "We expect its share to continue to climb. That is why we focus our efforts on mobile audio, and why we believe that responsive advertising through mobile audio is the way forward for publishers suffering from ad revenue decline from their textual web publications."

Advertisers themselves stand to benefit just as much as publishers and readers, Rubinstein adds. "The sheer amount of textual content produced every day makes this an enormous latent market for advertisers. Textual publications still inspire strong brand loyalty, and they represent excellent opportunities for precise market segmentation. Advertisers who have been looking for new inroads to niche markets and huge audiences alike will benefit enormously from AudioDots."