Audible is betting big on growing its Spanish-language catalog, with an emphasis on original productions in collaboration with local authors and narrators—a point that the audiobook platform drove home at Audible Voces, a gathering of Latin American audio creators held in Mexico City on August 7.
In her opening remarks, Audible chief content officer Rachel Ghiazza noted that the company began distributing Spanish-language content more than 20 years ago and began producing its own content in that language a decade ago. But with 486 million native Spanish speakers worldwide and only around 49,000 audiobook titles available in the language, “that gap represents a unique opportunity for Spanish-language storytelling,” she said.
Ghiazza added that Audible aims to grow its Spanish-language content through investments in high-quality production, the use of immersive technologies such as Dolby Atmos, and collaborations with local authors and narrators. On that last point, she stressed the importance of “supporting narrators from diverse backgrounds and experiences,” which “ensures that all types of listeners are represented in the stories they hear on Audible.”
Among the authors showcased during the event were Mexican-American singer-songwriter Lila Downs, whose autobiography El árbol de la vida will be released internationally as an Audible Original on September 15; Mexican author Alma Delia Murillo, who has six titles produced by the platform; and bestselling Chilean sci-fi author Julio Rojas.
Anasofía Sánchez Juárez, who heads up Audible’s operations in Mexico, told PW that the Spanish-speaking market is extremely important for Audible. “Not only is the market opportunity vast, but we firmly believe in the power of these stories to connect, inspire and transform lives,” she said. “We can’t wait to deepen and widen the exposure of our content to Mexican listeners.”
She added that the platform is targeting the entire Spanish-speaking world, in addition to its Portuguese-language content for Brazil, where Audible launched two years ago. “Audible is putting a huge focus on Spanish-language audio content, across marketplaces,” she said. “The company is particularly excited about Mexico and Latin America.”
In Mexico, Sánchez said, there is “such an appetite for audio storytelling to begin with.” According to a 2024 study by Statista Consumer Insights, 48% of
Mexicans listen to podcasts for an average of 10 hours a week. As far as audiobooks go, Sánchez said that in Mexico and in Spanish in general, personal development and thrillers are the most popular genres.
The adoption of the audiobook format has been notably slow in Mexico, which lags far behind the U.S. and Spain in market share for Spanish-language audiobooks. Sánchez noted that Audible is open to collaborating with Mexican cultural institutions to make audiobooks more widely available and accessible. One study, by Grand View Research, predicts the audiobook and audio storytelling market in Mexico has the potential to grow by as much as 31% by 2030.
Audible also plans to incorporate Spanish-language production into its Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX), a DIY platform connecting rights holders with producers, narrators, studios, and publishers to produce and distribute their audiobooks. While ACX is not yet available in Mexico, Sánchez noted that Audible “hopes to be able to announce new and interesting opportunities for the Mexican market in the near future.”
Sánchez stressed that Audible’s expansion into Mexico will be focused on “Mexican creators, narrators, and stories,” noting that the company is “closely collaborating with local production companies and recording studios in Mexico to continue to grow that catalog.”
