BBC iPlayer is getting a voice assistant to rival Alexa – and it's called Beeb

The BBC is gearing up to launch a voice assistant to rival the likes of Alexa and Google Assistant, that will help users navigate BBC iPlayer hands-free. 

The voice assistant, which is called Beebs, will be optimised to understand British regional accents, and is being tested on BBC staff around the UK to make sure it can pick up everything from Brummie to Glaswegian intonations.

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According to The Guardian, the BBC has no plans to launch a physical product like the Amazon Echo or Google Home speakers to house its proprietary voice assistant. 

Instead, Beeb will come built-in to the BBC’s website, its iPlayer app on smart TVs, and will be "made available to manufacturers who want to incorporate the public broadcaster’s software."

BBC goes interactive

Like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri, you'll be able to wake the voice assistant by saying its name, "Beeb". 

However, it won't have the same scope as these voice assistants, being focussed solely on enabling users to search for existing BBC shows like Eastenders and Killing Eve, using their voice.

That's not all – according to The Guardian, Beeb will also the BBC to develop "new forms of interactive programming". Excitingly, this means we could see shows in the vein of Netflix's Black Mirror, which wowed audiences with it's 'choose your own adventure' episode, Bandersnatch. 

There's no word yet on who will provide the new assistant's voice, but here's hoping the BBC picks one of Britain's most-loved broadcasters, David Attenborough – that would make for a very relaxing experience indeed.

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Via The Guardian