ViewLift Integrates Alexa Voice Control to its Fire TV Apps

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Jun 12, 2018, 08:12 ET

NEW YORK, June 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ViewLift, a leading digital distribution and monetization platform, today brings Alexa-based voice-activation to its video applications on Fire TV, by integrating Alexa Video Skill capabilities into its feature set. All of ViewLift's partners now can incorporate Alexa voice controls into their Fire TV applications.

Alexa is a cloud-based voice service from Amazon. Alexa is the brain behind Amazon Echo and other Alexa-enabled devices. Using Alexa is as simple as asking a question—just ask, and Alexa will respond instantly.

"One of the most important goals of the Product team here at ViewLift is always to stay abreast of the latest technologies and platforms available in the market," said Vishal Parikh, ViewLift's Head of Product. "The Amazon Fire TV is the living room device delivering the second-highest number of video streams across all of our clients, so we will continue to add capabilities and features to improve the user experience. With the introduction of the Alexa Video Skill, we continue to enable customers to find and consume their favorite video content easily. We will be adding additional product improvements over the summer for all of our partners."

Amazon Fire devices have enjoyed rapid consumer adoption, with over 35 million Fire TV devices sold in 2017, and nearly 37 million monthly active users. Fire TV is projected to have over 62 million monthly active users by 2021, according to eMarketer¹. Regarding the market share and usage for voice-enabled speakers, the Amazon Echo device leads the market with around 55% share, according to Fortune².

ViewLift's has already enabled Alexa voice commands on SnagFilms an ad-supported video streaming service, joining a small list of big brands, like Netflix and Hulu, who have offered this Alexa Skill capability. SnagFilms users can now access thousands of free movies and television shows through Amazon's voice recognition technology. With this feature, a user can say, "Alexa, play Beware of Mr. Baker", and begin voice control for their viewing. Since Alexa already knows the user has a free SnagFilms account, the user will have instant and seamless access to any content on SnagFilms.

Alexa voice control via Alexa Skill is available to all current and future ViewLift clients, demonstrating their state-of-the art OTT experience. ViewLift's platform makes it easy for its content clients to access the latest in features when developing their OTT content distribution and monetization strategies.

New feature deployment comes on the heels of ViewLift's new client announcements with Professional Fighters League (PFL) and others, as well as executive expansion (with new additions of industry experts from Lionsgate and NeuLion), maintaining its competitive edge and continuing to provide a strong backbone for clients with its innovative technology foundation.

Source
¹https://www.emarketer.com/Article/168-Million-Will-Watch-Connected-TV-US-This-Year/1016233 ² http://fortune.com/2018/02/22/apple-homepod-amazon-echo-market-share/

About ViewLift™
ViewLift is a full-service digital content distribution platform empowering media companies, sports leagues and teams, education providers and others to monetize their content through native branded apps on major OTT devices including web, mobile, TV-connected devices, Smart TVs and gaming consoles. ViewLift's founding team brings years of domain experience as an operator (not just a technology provider) and strong industry relationships to offer a complete end-to-end solution for creating, launching and monetizing video applications across 30 device platforms. ViewLift operates across the digital ecosystem, understanding each device's unique requirements and best practices. ViewLift offers clients a range of monetization models on a proprietary platform with advanced analytics, tracking performance in real-time. ViewLift is backed by leading VC firms, including New Enterprise Associates, Comcast Ventures, and Clark Enterprises, as well as tech and media pioneers Ted Leonsis, Steve and Jean Case, Terry Semel, Robert McCormack and others. ViewLift clients include: NBCU; TEGNA; Monumental Sports Network; The Great Courses; Lax Sports Network; Major League Lacrosse; Arena Football League; the five owned-and-operated channels of SnagFilms; and others.

SOURCE ViewLift