Accedo has undertaken its first Google Home deployment with a UK broadcaster, working with Channel 4.
As a result, All 4 viewers can now launch and control their viewing experience giving voice commands to Google Assistant on their Google Home and Google Home Mini.
Accedo and Channel 4 have been in partnership for several years, with the video experience provider launching All 4 on multiple connected TV and Roku devices. With the extension of its Google Chromecast version to Google Home, All 4 is now available across over 20 operating platforms.
Commenting on the development, Sarah Milton, All 4 head of product, Channel 4, said: “We are always striving to innovate to improve our viewer experience, and we can see real potential for voice to make it even easier to find and watch shows on All 4. Accedo worked with us to develop our Google Home enabled Chromecast application and provided invaluable advice and guidance throughout that process. Extensive user testing has ensured we have an intuitive and easy-to-use service that enables our viewers to quickly use voice commands to start and control playback.”
All 4 viewers are now able to start viewing content from All 4 simply by saying, for example, “OK Google, play Gogglebox”. Once the content is running they can then control their viewing experience by simply asking Google to pause, seek, stop, play the next episode… and so on…
Edward Kenney, head of UK Product Partnerships, Google Home, added: “We are delighted to work with Accedo and Channel 4 to enable viewers in the UK to easily access their favourite TV programmes using simple voice commands. One of the joys of Google Home is to assist in making life’s tasks easier, simpler and more fun for everyone.”
Adam Nightingale, SVP International at Accedo, said: “This is the first collaboration between a UK broadcaster, Accedo and Google around Google Home and the partnership works wonderfully. Adding Google Home isn’t just about enabling the receiver to accept voice commands but also ensuring that viewers remain engaged and in control. The easier it is for viewers to enjoy All 4, the more content they watch and the more often they will use the All 4.”
All 4 is one of the UK’s leading on-demand services with over 10,000 hours of entertainment including exclusive and catch up content and over 150 box sets of iconic TV series, all available for free.
