Marseille, France – – La Provence, a leading regional daily newspaper based in Marseille, is aggressively expanding its digital presence with a suite of AI-powered audio products designed to attract younger audiences and combat growing news fatigue. The initiative, launched in , marks a significant strategic shift for the publication, owned since by CMA Media, France’s third-largest private media group.
The move comes as traditional news outlets grapple with shifting consumption habits and a decline in readership among younger demographics. According to Marie-Béatrice Vinit, Subscription and Distribution Manager at La Provence, 51 percent of French people express news fatigue
. However, audio formats are experiencing a surge in popularity, with 22 percent of people aged 15 to 24 listening to podcasts every day
.
La Provence, founded in , currently reaches 450,000 readers daily across eight editions in three southern French counties. Its core readership, Vinit explained, is mainly male, 70-plus, retired, going every day at six o’clock to buy a newspaper
. The newspaper’s parent company, CMA Media, has provided the investment necessary to pursue this new audio strategy, recognizing the potential for synergy within its broader media portfolio, which includes television news channels and other digital publications.
The new audio offerings, collectively branded as La Provence Audio
, include four distinct products: Listen to my article
, offering both long and shortened versions of stories adapted for audio consumption; Top headlines
, providing hourly news summaries; Topic highlights
, curating content around specific themes; and a personalised audio digest
, tailored to individual user interests. These products are accessible via the newspaper’s website and mobile application and are also integrated with Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto for in-car listening.
A key element of the project is the use of AI-generated voices that aim to replicate a natural, human delivery. Rather than relying on standard synthetic voices, La Provence partnered with the French AI lab Kyutai to clone the voices of two actors. Vinit emphasized that the resulting voices sound very authentic and have ‘a kind of human touch’
, despite being AI generated. The newspaper previously experienced success with audio content through its podcast Cartel Nord
, which attracted over 2 million listeners, demonstrating a clear demand for audio storytelling.
The technical infrastructure behind La Provence Audio
involves a complex system of automated rules and AI tools. The system processes articles through over 100 automated rules, including those governing audio atmosphere
such as jingles and pauses. Personalized audio recommendations are powered by a model developed by the French AI company Mistral. Journalists have access to administrative tools to review and edit audio outputs, correcting any mispronunciations and prompting the system to generate additional content.
While initial plans considered placing the audio products behind a paywall, La Provence ultimately opted to make them freely available to all readers. The newspaper is now exploring various monetization strategies, including programmatic advertising and potential B2B applications. Early reader feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with 80 percent
of respondents expressing satisfaction with the quality and experience of the audio products. Readers particularly appreciated the ability to combine audio consumption with reading the traditional newspaper format.
The launch of La Provence Audio
represents a broader trend within the publishing industry, as news organizations increasingly turn to AI and audio to engage new audiences and adapt to changing media consumption patterns. La Provence is the first title within the CMA Media group to implement this solution, but the company plans to scale the technology across its other publications in . The newspaper also plans to continue expanding its audio offerings, including adding an audio version of the daily editorial delivered in the voice of the Editor-in-Chief, Olivier Biscaye, and making its content available on streaming platforms like Spotify.
