- Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) launches its first Alexa skills for children complete with a Verified Parental Consent confirming data protection.
- Viacom’s Nickelodeon and Sesame Street are the first major skill developers to put out kid-friendly content with a SpongeBob and an Elmo skill, respectively.
- Amazon launches its own skill called Storytime that reads bedtime stories to kids aged 5 and up with celebrity readers including SpongeBob himself, Tom Kenny.
- Parents will need to provide permission through the Alexa app before a kid skill can enable.
- Amazon leads the smart speaker market in shipments due to the broad price range of the Echo devices but that market is getting crowded with budget-friendly devices coming from third-party developers, Sonos and Apple’s HomePod focusing more on audio quality, and assistants like Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana becoming compatible. Skill expansions stand as one of the best ways for Amazon to drive users to its Alexa ecosystem and, through that, the shopping platform.
- Previously: Amazon and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) voice assistants will soon speak to each other (Aug. 30)
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