The BBC has changed how it delivers news on smart speakers so you can now dive deeper into the news you want to hear and skip the stuff you don't.
Saying "Give me BBC News" to an Amazon Alexa-enabled device will now take you into a new service that will give you access to a range of extra content than if you just ask Alexa for the news or your flash briefing.
The service will be available for Google Assistant devices in the future, though there's no date for that as yet.
So while traditional news bulletins might only have time to play a short clip of a speech in the House of Commons, you can now choose to listen to the speech in full. And you can get additional background audio on that story should you wish.
The extra stuff now on offer includes
- Specialist pieces from BBC News’ reporters and correspondents who add new angles on the day’s emerging stories
- Flexible bulletins at a time and length that suits you, enabling you to explore longer interviews or stories that are otherwise forced to make way for breaking news
- BBC archive material to supplement current stories where relevant.
Mukul Devichand, the executive editor of BBC Voice and AI, says that the service is like a new, on-demand version of radio: "Smart speakers give us the chance to reimagine what radio would be like if it were invented today, free from its technical limitations.
"By making the news interactive on smart speakers, listeners can jump to the stories they need to hear just before rushing out of the house, or, when they have more time, they can delve into a piece and find out more."