TuneIn and Alexa Bring Play-by-Play to the Smart Speakers

Mar 30, 2018 | 01:11 pm

TuneIn is the leading global streaming live audio service. Bringing together a wide collection of live sports, music, news, and podcasts including live, on-demand and original content TuneIn lets people find what they love while helping them discover new things. TuneIn is currently available on over 200 connected devices and streaming platforms in over 197 territories across the world. (PRNewsfoto/TuneIn)

Alexa customers will be able to access live MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL games with their subscription. (PRNewsfoto/TuneIn)

Never want to miss a moment of a game again? With TuneIn Live on Alexa, customers in the United States will be able to listen to a variety of premium audio content, including play-by-play calls from thousands of live professional sports games.

TuneIn Live will be free for the first seven days, with the service costing $2.99 per month for Amazon Prime members and $3.99 per month for non-Amazon Prime members after the 7-day trial.

With radio reaching 54% of the countries population daily and the smart speaker market expected to balloon to 244 million units by 2022, giving fans the opportunity to access their team’s broadcast is a no-brainer.

“There is such a time-honored connection between live radio and sports, baseball in particular,” said Tony Archibong, Vice President of Distribution and Business Development at TuneIn. “To have Alexa as the first voice service to offer our premium content, and to be able to provide our extensive portfolio of live sports, breaking news, and up-to-the-minute talk radio to Alexa customers, just in time for Opening Day, we could not be more excited.”

For Amazon, one of the best aspects of the integration is the fact that the skill will synchronize playback of across multiple Echo devices, giving fans the opportunity to hear the game no matter where they are in their apartment or house.

“TuneIn Live brings a delightful experience to Alexa customers with the ability to stream live audio of virtually any sporting event or news broadcast throughout your home,” said Rob Pulciani, Director, Amazon Alexa. “Just ask Alexa to open the TuneIn Live skill and play your favorite team’s game – even synchronize playback across multiple Echo devices around the home so the whole family can hear as they move around the house.”

From streaming and connected devices to AR and VR, tech is making being able to follow your favorite team easier than ever before.