Westwood One Brings the Winter Olympics to Amazon Alexa

From a press release to news@media.info
Posted 11 February 2018, 8.08pm est

New York NY, USA – Westwood One, the largest radio network in the U.S. and the leader in live play-by-play sports, will broadcast live from the Winter Olympics in PyeongChange, South Korea through Amazon Alexa between February 9-25, 2018.

Amazon Alexa users can access the Winter Olympics content by saying, “Alexa, open Westwood One Sports.” They will then be offered the opportunity to listen live if a live broadcast is underway, hear the most recent live broadcast on demand, or listen to summary highlights from the day. Westwood One collaborated with XAPPmedia to launch the Westwood One Alexa skill in time for the Olympic Games opening ceremonies on February 9th.

“The Olympic Games captivate all of us, and Westwood One Sports has broadcast every Olympics since 1988. This year we are bringing the Olympic pageantry and competitive spirit to Amazon Alexa users for the very first time,” said Suzanne Grimes, EVP, Corporate Marketing, Cumulus and President, Westwood One. “Smart speakers are bringing radio back into the home and Westwood One is enabling listeners to catch up with the latest Olympics news and play-by-play from hockey, speed skating, figure skating, Alpine skiing, and more. Just say, ‘Alexa, open Westwood One Sports,’ to get started.”

“The Olympics are exactly the type of programming that Alexa users will love to access hands-free while cooking, driving, working, or just relaxing. Voice assistants like Alexa are designed to instantly offer up content and information anytime a user has a few minutes to spare. The Alexa skill design will make it easy to get Olympic information anytime by simply requesting it by voice. You don’t need to run to pull up the internet, pick up your smartphone, or tune the dial. Thirty-nine million Americans can just ask Alexa for the Olympics from Westwood One Sports,” said Pat Higbie, CEO and co-founder of XAPPmedia.