Amidst the increased popularity of smart speakers, Channel 4 identified a need to enable interactivity between these types of gadgets, Google Assistant, and its OTT service, ‘All 4’. By using voice command, users no longer need to type or scroll when searching for content, meaning that they can spend less time looking for their favorite programs and more time watching them. Channel 4 recognized the potential of the technology and wanted to adopt it early on in order to understand how ‘All 4’ interacted with voice interfaces. The ultimate goal of a voice command service was to make it easier for users to find and watch content.

Having worked together on many other app development projects, Channel 4 partnered with Accedo to deliver the ‘All 4’ voice command interface for Google Assistant. With its deep technical knowledge of the ‘All 4’ platform and its extensive experience of developing app features and capabilities, Accedo was able to build and implement a robust solution in a short timeframe. Accedo worked to produce a Google Assistant-enabled Chromecast application, allowing users to navigate ‘All 4’ by using voice commands (e.g., ‘Google, play Gogglebox’). Accedo paid close attention to the user experience and used its expertise in voice command technology to plan and rigorously test the feature prior to its release.

Through its knowledge and experience of implementing voice recognition software and stringent monitoring of the service, Accedo successfully fulfilled Channel 4’s brief. All 4’s operating capability increased to over 20 platforms following the voice command app update implemented by Accedo.