A resource for news innovators powered by American Press Institute
Complexity: Advanced
Article Complexity Bar Graph

How the BBC is using voice assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home

With voice assistants like Amazon Echo on the rise, how can your newsroom plan to distribute content in new audio formats?

Just as publishers are getting used to distributing content to social media platforms, voice assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home enter the scene and promise to change the game for platform content creation. According to Digiday, the BBC launched a news briefing Alexa skill for Amazon Echo but aims to increase its presence as more and more people use the devices. To do so, BBC plans to pair editorial staff with audio engineers to identify which experiences and content their audience wants to receive. 

“Figuring out how to make a brand stand out in a voice-activated environment is a challenge for news publishers, content producers and brands alike. The BBC wants to build its Echo and Home audiences so it can monitor what people say to devices, what they listen to and for how long. That will help show which content areas are worth expanding for voice-activated formats.”