Sky New Zealand have announced that they have created their own skill for use with Amazon Alexa.<\/p>\n
he Amazon Echo Family of Alexa-enabled devices are now available in New Zealand and SKY has been working closely with Amazon to develop one of the inaugural New Zealand launch skills.\u00a0 Once a customer enables the skill for Alexa, the SKY TV skill allows users to interact with the company\u2019s Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) to find out more about what\u2019s on any of the channels available on the SKY platform.<\/p>\n
The SKY TV Alexa skill can be used by anyone with an Alexa-enabled device such as the Amazon Echo, Echo Plus or Echo Dot and provides a convenient voice-activated experience.\u00a0 At launch users will be able to ask Alexa what programmes are on, when they are on, what channel they\u2019re on, check a channel number and what the SKY \u201cPicks of the Day\u201d are – all they have to do is ask.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlexa is already a useful and entertaining part of the lives of millions of people across the globe, and we\u2019re thrilled to work with Amazon to offer one of the first New Zealand Alexa skills when the Amazon Echo Family launches this month,\u201d said Julian Wheeler, SKY\u2019s Chief Product and Technology Officer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re always looking for ways to make it easier for our customers to find out about our great TV and movies and the SKY TV skill allows them to just ask Alexa.\u00a0 Intelligent voice services are the way of the future and we have some really fun things planned for our customers as we further develop the SKY TV Alexa skill.\u201d<\/p>\n
At launch Alexa will draw on the resources of SKY\u2019s EPG to help users with content discovery by being able to navigate through channel information across all free-to-air, SKY and pay-per-view channels available on the SKY Platform.\u00a0 Regular updates over the coming months will see Alexa adding more useful features with a focus on customer assistance.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs more functionality is added over time, customers will be able to link Alexa to their SKY account which means they\u2019ll be able to do more cool things by simply asking.\u00a0 They could record a show or ask for a simple customer service request without picking up the phone – whether it\u2019s booking a pay-per-view event, checking their account balance or even changing a channel.\u00a0 All they\u2019ll need to do is ask,\u201d Mr Wheeler said.<\/p>\n
How it works:<\/strong><\/p>\n
SKY has worked closely with Auckland-based leading creative technology company Rush Digital in the development of its Alexa skill.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt RUSH we continuously help businesses create impact with the latest technologies. Being at the forefront of voice user interface (VUI), we were immediately excited by the New Zealand launch of Amazon Alexa and what it could mean for SKY,\u2019\u201d said Pavan Vyas, CEO and Managing Director of Rush Digital.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur experts have collaborated closely with the SKY product development team to design, test, validate and build a brand new skill, and we can’t wait to see how this technology evolves customer experiences and the digital ecosystem for SKY and other New Zealand businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n
The SKY TV skill for Alexa will be available to anyone with an Alexa-enabled device.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sky New Zealand have announced that they have created their own skill for use with Amazon Alexa. he Amazon Echo Family of Alexa-enabled devices are now available in New Zealand and SKY has been working closely with Amazon to develop one of the inaugural New Zealand launch skills.\u00a0 Once a customer enables the skill for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10315,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[217,219],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n