Voice-activated home speakers, commonly called “smart speakers,” arguably represent the most important new audio distribution platform since the smartphone.
Kagan, a research group within S&P Global Market Intelligence, has updated its summary and forecast of smart speaker shipments globally. The rise from 2016 through 2020 is meteoric, and the projection for 2021 continues the trend. Click for the chart. Continue Reading
In its quarterly report of smart speaker shipments, London-based research company Omdia reports that Google took the top spot from Amazon in the U.S. And interestingly, Apple’s HomePod increased its shipments from a year ago at a surprising rate. Click through for the chart. Continue Reading
Last August we covered a new and original smart-speaker audio campaign for Lucky Charms, created by short-form audio producer SpokenLayer. Today we learn that the “Lucky Charms Magical Mission” creative has won the Digiday Award for Best Audio Campaign in 2020. The win is a watermark for the company’s extension from short-form audio production to creative studio work. Continue Reading
According to a newly released consumer survey study by Adobe, twice as many smart speaker users report hearing advertisements than in the year-ago study. When you consider Amazon’s lead over Google in the realm of smart speaker devices, a general shift in the balance of advertising power could be underway as the marketplace becomes more saturated with the devices. Continue Reading
Short form audio producer SpokenLayer, best known for audio narrations of articles published by media juggernauts Heart, Tribune, TIME, and others. According to CEO Andy Lipset, the company is increasingly doing original programming production for branded content. The latest to launch is Lucky Charms Magical Mission, a leprechaun-hosted adventure to magical lands. Click through for Alexa sample. Continue Reading
Edison Research sent an advisory release comprising a piece of that company’s subscription Share of Ear project, an ongoing study of what Americans choose to listen to, and in what measure. In-home listening during COVID-19 is sharply up, predictably. Also, podcasting and smart-speaker listening gained by double-digit share in listening. Continue Reading
Sonos has sent its latest shareholder letter with second-quarter financial results and some product updates. The company had a difficult period, with revenue down 17% and taking a big hit for sales figures. Continue Reading
Futuresource Consulting released a report with an outlook on how the coronavirus pandemic might impact music streaming. Given the uncertainty around how COVID-19 may continue to impact both individual listening habits and broader national economies, any sort of projections should be read with several grains of salt. But a surveys and forecasts can still help companies make their best guesses about where listening trends will go. Continue Reading
Sonos is making some content additions in recent months. On the back of the launch for its Sonos Radio, the speaker company announced an integration with OverDrive’s Libby app. This program helps libraries connect with patrons, giving them access to audiobooks and ebooks on their own devices. Continue Reading
Voicebot.ai has released its latest report on U.S. smart speaker adoption. According to its most recent surveys, the U.S. smart speaker installed base has grown 32% to 87.7 million adults. Continue Reading
Google is introducing some adjustments to its voice assistant’s responsiveness. A blog post outlined new tweaks to setting up Voice Match with Google Assistant, as well as fine-tuning how likely it is to be activated. Continue Reading
Amazon is continuing to make tweaks and adjustments to the experience of using its Alexa voice assistant. One of the latest developments is a long-form speaking style for the AI. This feature is designed to help skill developers to make it easier for customers to engage with a large volume of content, such as in a news article or podcast. Continue Reading