NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Playaway Products, a leading provider of curated audio content to over 40,000 institutions, is launching a collection of over 350 popular and award-winning Spanish-language Playaway Audiobooks in multiple Spanish dialects, with plans to add new titles each quarter to continue expanding its collection. Designed for institutional circulation markets, this will give schools and libraries a single source for high-quality Spanish-language content, as well as further the company’s mission of promoting literacy and bridging the digital divide in a way that is safe, secure, and equitable.
Despite Spanish being the most spoken non-English language in U.S. homes,1 many libraries have a limited selection of Spanish content. To help close this gap and meet the needs of the nation’s 55 million+ Spanish speakers, Playaway Products has partnered with top Spanish publishers Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, BookaVivo, and others to offer award-winning and best-selling titles in Spanish, including Isabel Allende’s A Long Petal of the Sea and Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.
“Playaway Products is committed to helping schools and libraries evolve alongside their communities, which is why we’re expanding our multilingual content offering,” explained Gene LaMarca, Playaway Products CEO. “They can feel confident in building their children’s, young adult, and adult collections with our curated selection of Spanish-language Playaway Audiobooks, which are pre-loaded and ready to enjoy right off the shelf.”
Bridging the Language Gap
There is a marked disparity between supply and demand for Spanish-language audiobooks in the United States. Although it is the third-largest market for Spanish and Latin American audio publishers, many still struggle to find this content on their local shelves. The new collection of Playaway Audiobooks will help schools and libraries adapt to their communities and meet the needs of native Spanish speakers, heritage speakers, and Spanish students alike.
“Demand is always higher than supply for Spanish-language books in the U.S,” shared Silvia Matute, president of Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial. “We are delighted to see our catalog included in Playaway, which will expand our Spanish-language offer for schools and public libraries in the U.S.”
A Trusted Partner
With over 30,000 pre-loaded audiobooks, 7,000 learning apps and videos, and a growing collection of more than 800 read-alongs, Playaway Products has been at the forefront of making digital content accessible for nearly 20 years, and this is not the company’s first Spanish-language offering. It already has Spanish and bilingual titles available for its Wonderbook Read-Along and Launchpad, and it is planning to expand the multilingual options for these products alongside its Playaway Audiobook selection.
Playaway Products also plans to build relationships with organizations that promote literacy and Spanish-language content and is currently exploring partnerships with additional Spanish publishers to access more titles.
About Playaway
Playaway Products LLC revolutionized the business of audiobooks in 2005 with Playaway, a preloaded audiobook player. Since then, Playaway Products has expanded into a portfolio of innovative technology solutions that continue to transform the way the world's best audiobook, app, eBook, and video content is circulated in more than 40,000 libraries, schools, and military installations. With simple and easy-to-use technology at the core of all product development, Playaway Products' mission is to make digital content accessible to everyone, promote literacy, and bridge the digital divide.
1S. Census. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/12/languages-we-speak-in-united-states.html
