New Series Launched for English Learning App "1000-Hour Listening Marathon"!
Alc Co., Ltd.'s English learning app "1000-Hour Listening Marathon" has added new materials, including "Heroes in America" for listening to biographies of American great figures and "Ultimate Business English Listening" for experiencing business English scenarios through stories. The app aims to help users acquire practical English skills by balancing intensive and extensive listening, targeting 1000 hours of English exposure per year.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 2, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 2, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 2, 2026 at 10:40 (9 min after Collected)
Alc Co., Ltd. (Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Nobuaki Tanaka) has announced the addition of new learning materials to its English learning app, "1000-Hour Listening Marathon."
Joining the lineup are "Heroes in America," which allows users to listen to biographies of great American figures, and "Ultimate Business English Listening," where users can experience real-world business English scenarios through engaging stories.
**Balanced Learning with Intensive and Extensive Listening**
The Listening Marathon service aims to help users acquire practical English skills by exposing them to English for 1000 hours a year, approximately three hours a day.
The app primarily focuses on intensive listening, where users gradually understand English that they initially grasp only 20-30% of, by following detailed steps to achieve complete comprehension and connect it to output practice.
However, this type of intensive study is limited to 1 to 1.5 hours per day. Beyond that, it is necessary to accumulate 1000 hours by including "extensive listening" time, such as watching news, foreign films, dramas, listening to foreign music, or engaging with English in work or training settings.
This time, we have added content perfectly suited for extensive listening. We hope that this new series will encourage users to increase their exposure to English, as if they were on an overseas trip or studying abroad.
**VOA Special English: Ideal for Extensive Listening**
"Heroes in America" utilizes Special English, created by the Voice of America (VOA), a U.S. state-owned radio broadcaster, for non-native English speakers. Special English limits vocabulary to 1500 words and reduces speaking speed by one-third.
Its simple sentence structures allow users to listen to long English texts without feeling much stress.
Although it offers a simplified learning step, the English texts to be listened to at once are quite long, providing a different learning experience compared to intensive listening content.
**"Ultimate Business English Listening": Experience Real Business English**
Also newly added is "Ultimate Business English Listening."
Based on the beginner-to-intermediate level 3000 words from Alc's compiled "Standard Vocabulary Level 12000 (SVL 12000)," users can simulate real business scenarios through a drama-style story.
It is structured into eight units covering telephone calls, meetings, presentations, news, and daily interactions, depicting the process of a large American corporation and a small Japanese company reaching an agreement while overcoming cultural differences. Users can learn practical business English expressions and logic.
Although designed as an intensive listening material, it can also be used for extensive listening by re-listening to it after a period of time following initial study.
**■ App Information**
App Name: 1000-Hour Listening Marathon
Developed and Provided by: Alc Co., Ltd.
Target Audience: English beginners and above
Download: Available on App Store / Google Play
Official Website: https://www.hearingmarathon.com
"1000-Hour Listening Marathon" offers a 7-day free trial for first-time users. Take this opportunity to try the new series!
**■ Plan Introduction**
3-Month Plan: 19,800 yen (6,600 yen per month)
12-Month Plan: 49,800 yen (4,150 yen per month)
▼ Download the app here (Common link for App Store / Google Play)
https://hearingmarathon.go.link/k1pYF
*"Android" and "Google Play" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Google Inc.
**■ About Alc**
Since its founding in April 1969, Alc has been a comprehensive language education company for over half a century, upholding the corporate philosophy of "Creating a Global Network." We have been developing educational materials to acquire practical language skills. We provide various support for language learners, including correspondence courses, books, training, e-learning materials, learning apps, and various digital content in the language field. https://www.alc.co.jp/
Joining the lineup are "Heroes in America," which allows users to listen to biographies of great American figures, and "Ultimate Business English Listening," where users can experience real-world business English scenarios through engaging stories.
**Balanced Learning with Intensive and Extensive Listening**
The Listening Marathon service aims to help users acquire practical English skills by exposing them to English for 1000 hours a year, approximately three hours a day.
The app primarily focuses on intensive listening, where users gradually understand English that they initially grasp only 20-30% of, by following detailed steps to achieve complete comprehension and connect it to output practice.
However, this type of intensive study is limited to 1 to 1.5 hours per day. Beyond that, it is necessary to accumulate 1000 hours by including "extensive listening" time, such as watching news, foreign films, dramas, listening to foreign music, or engaging with English in work or training settings.
This time, we have added content perfectly suited for extensive listening. We hope that this new series will encourage users to increase their exposure to English, as if they were on an overseas trip or studying abroad.
**VOA Special English: Ideal for Extensive Listening**
"Heroes in America" utilizes Special English, created by the Voice of America (VOA), a U.S. state-owned radio broadcaster, for non-native English speakers. Special English limits vocabulary to 1500 words and reduces speaking speed by one-third.
Its simple sentence structures allow users to listen to long English texts without feeling much stress.
Although it offers a simplified learning step, the English texts to be listened to at once are quite long, providing a different learning experience compared to intensive listening content.
**"Ultimate Business English Listening": Experience Real Business English**
Also newly added is "Ultimate Business English Listening."
Based on the beginner-to-intermediate level 3000 words from Alc's compiled "Standard Vocabulary Level 12000 (SVL 12000)," users can simulate real business scenarios through a drama-style story.
It is structured into eight units covering telephone calls, meetings, presentations, news, and daily interactions, depicting the process of a large American corporation and a small Japanese company reaching an agreement while overcoming cultural differences. Users can learn practical business English expressions and logic.
Although designed as an intensive listening material, it can also be used for extensive listening by re-listening to it after a period of time following initial study.
**■ App Information**
App Name: 1000-Hour Listening Marathon
Developed and Provided by: Alc Co., Ltd.
Target Audience: English beginners and above
Download: Available on App Store / Google Play
Official Website: https://www.hearingmarathon.com
"1000-Hour Listening Marathon" offers a 7-day free trial for first-time users. Take this opportunity to try the new series!
**■ Plan Introduction**
3-Month Plan: 19,800 yen (6,600 yen per month)
12-Month Plan: 49,800 yen (4,150 yen per month)
▼ Download the app here (Common link for App Store / Google Play)
https://hearingmarathon.go.link/k1pYF
*"Android" and "Google Play" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Google Inc.
**■ About Alc**
Since its founding in April 1969, Alc has been a comprehensive language education company for over half a century, upholding the corporate philosophy of "Creating a Global Network." We have been developing educational materials to acquire practical language skills. We provide various support for language learners, including correspondence courses, books, training, e-learning materials, learning apps, and various digital content in the language field. https://www.alc.co.jp/