NOA Audio news-streaming platform NOA delivers FT content to meet the needs of on-the-go audiences

Its aim is to allow people to listen to quality content from the world’s leading news publishers while they’re on the go – whether they’re in the car, on the train, at the gym or around the house. Instead of just providing a news snapshot, NOA makes it easy for people to understand the full story behind the headlines.

“We’re seeking to do with quality journalism what Spotify has done with music and believe that the continued adoption of voice-assisted devices and connected vehicles will make the consumption of audio-journalism extremely attractive for consumers in the years ahead,” says CTO Shane Ennis. “Over audio, the quality of reporting becomes more recognisable which is why we need to work with the best publishers in the business.”

We live in a world where information is overabundant and often flawed. Business people in particular are inundated with emails and feeds that deliver a stream of news as it happens.

However, it can be hard for people to identify the information that’s reliable – or to find time to engage with the full story of why an event has taken place, what its implications are and what might happen as a result.

To meet this need, NOA requires a supply of reliable journalism that allows its listeners to stay informed, giving them perspectives and opinions to help them address their business objectives. “We want to give people thought-provoking, insightful and actionable audio content,” says CEO, Gareth Hickey. “That’s why we chose the Financial Times.”

NOA’s team of professional broadcasters narrate seven FT articles every night from Sunday to Thursday.
Each audio story is then distributed across their iOS and Android smartphone apps and on Amazon Echo, allowing listeners to stream their choice of stories anytime and anywhere. Listeners can also create a playlist of their favourite audio stories so they never miss one that’s important to them.

In NOA’s product development pipeline are plans to further integrate its offering with other well-known smart speaker devices, including Google’s Home, and in-car infotainment systems.

With its FT republishing licence, NOA can choose relevant content for its business-minded listeners, who need to follow global developments.

With this in mind, its broadcasters often include FT content from our in-depth Opinion & Analysis sections to The Big Read section and from The Monday interviews to our award-winning columnists, including Martin Wolf, Philip Stephens and Rana Foroohar.

“FT content is extremely well-written,” says Gareth Hickey. “Each story is perfectly punctuated, provides ample context and is written in a way that draws the reader in. As a result, FT stories lend themselves extremely well to audio.”

NOA’s team of professional broadcasters narrate seven FT articles every night from Sunday to Thursday. Each audio story is then distributed on their iOS and Android smartphone apps, allowing listeners to stream their choice of stories anytime and anywhere. Listeners can also create a playlist of their favourite stories so they never miss one that’s important to them.

Cross-border and cross-sector, FT reporting helps NOA to maintain and strengthen its market position as a global source of high-quality audio-journalism.
In addition, its association with the FT aligns it with a brand renowned worldwide for its authority, accuracy and integrity. NOA has also seen very strong levels of audience engagement with an above-average article completion rate of 86% for FT content as a whole. This equates to approximately 4 minutes and 20 seconds of playback time per 5-minute article (the average for FT content).

“FT journalism is a joy to listen to in audio format,” explains Gareth Hickey. “That’s probably why the FT’s audio articles continue to post the highest engagement metrics across the NOA platform. When our listeners press play, they tend to stick around and listen. They like what they’re hearing.”