VOICE ENTREPRENEUR WITH BEN SMITH #28
<5 min listen by audio:
ALEXA IN YOUR TV IS GOING TO BE INSANE
Techcrunch is reporting today that Amazon is going to sell smart televisions with built in Alexa through Best Buy.
I don’t think many people realize how important the TV is for the future plans and ambitions for the Amazon Alexa technology:
1. Alexa in your TV means a 55 inch Alexa screen in your living room
I recently bought an Amazon Echo Spot (the Alexa with a small video screen). It’s nice, but I’m not sure a single person could watch more than a few minutes of video on the screen. And that’s being generous. However, once I have a massive 55 inch Alexa screen in the middle of my house, everything changes. I will happily watch videos and movies through my Alexa all day long.
Imagine a television that can instantly turn on to play “Westworld” and Jimmy Kimmel clips upon my voice command. Imagine the ability to create short video flash briefings on my TV set when I sit down with a glass of wine and dessert. All of these things are possible with Alexa TV.
2. Video content discovery become more important
If you’re not building thinking about Alexa as both an audio AND video platform, you’re making a mistake. Google estimates by the year 2020, 90% of consumed content with be audio and video. Audio and video combined is the cornerstone of content delivery, and will be until that whole virtual reality and augmented reality thing happens sometime in the 2020s.
As an entrepreneur and marketer, I want to figure out NOW how Amazon Alexa surfaces new video. It’s vital to look for ways to create a daily video habit for the Alexa user.
3. Don’t just upload video to YouTube
The biggest problem with the Alexa Echo Spot is that Google took YouTube off the Amazon devices. So today, I can’t watch the majority of great short form video on the device. I suspect that a TV embedded with Alexa will be the same way. Amazon knows this is a problem. And Amazon has responded by starting to reach out to YouTube content creators and inviting them onto the Amazon Video platform. Some of my closest content friends in the YouTube space have privately told me they are making money and quietly killing it on Amazon. I’d expect to see this trend accelerate with TVs with Alexa inside.
This is such a good opportunity to get my video onto the Amazon Video platform now. Once my video is going through the Amazon pipes, I’d learn how users are finding Amazon video. I’d double down on Amazon optimization, and find ways to tie my Alexa audio content with my Alexa video content. The name of the game will be creating interesting playlists and creating daily habitual user loops. If you have questions, hit me up. I’m around, and here for you! As always, thanks for reading– Ben
Sign up for our short updates if you’re ready to jump into the world of voice technology and podcasts!
