Sky Q adds new voice search innovations
March 31, 2021
By Nik Roseveare
Sky is rolling out a raft of new features and voice innovations on its Sky Q platform.
Over the next month, movies and series from Disney+, will begin to appear in broader voice and text searches on Sky Q. Users can search for Disney+ exclusives, such as Marvel’s The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and Star Wars’ The Mandalorian using their Sky Q voice remote to land on a dedicated ‘Show Centre’ – a go-to for every available episode in one place.
Users will also see an improved Sky Go experience in the coming weeks. The new ‘Continue Watching’ rail means viewers can pick up where they left off more easily, and the introduction of ‘Sky Channels’ and ‘Browse by Category’ rails will provide a more seamless experience for those who watch anywhere. The recent roll out of Sky Go as a widget on iOS means users can also get to content quickly without searching through the home screen.
Sky says its latest voice innovations make the service even more accessible for customers. With its new accessibility feature, ‘Voice Guidance’, Sky has created a more intuitive voice experience which will make navigating Sky Q’s TV guide, menus, Show Centres, collections, and on-screen messages much easier for customers with visual impairments.
Voice Guidance works in tandem with Voice Search and existing Sky Q accessibility features. High Contrast Mode, British Sign Language zone (BSL Zone) – featuring on demand content and entertainment from BSL – and the Accessibility Remote are all already available to give users greater independence when navigating Sky Q.
As Sky Q continues to add more voice destination pages, there are now more ways to use voice search to find entertainment. Users can find personalised recommendations with the recently improved “what should I watch?” voice command, showcasing the best TV in one place, tailored to the viewer based on everything they’ve watched and what’s trending from Sky, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, BBC and more.
Fraser Stirling, Group Chief Product Officer, Sky, said: “Today marks another big moment for Sky Q as we roll out exciting new voice features. Integrating Disney+ into voice search means it’s now much easier to find more of what you love and adding voice guidance to our strong accessibility offering helps to create an even better experience for all Sky Q customers.”