Lance McCullers Jr. celebrates after the Houston Astros defeated the New York Yankees by a score of 4-0 to win Game 7 of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park on Oct. 21, 2017. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
Google Assistant will integrate into coverage of the American League and National League Championship Series as part of a new initiative between Google and Major League Baseball. The league announced the partnership in a news release on Wednesday.
During live game play in the ALCS and NLCS, announcers will be able to ask the smart speaker questions, according to Ad Age. Google Assistant branding will be featured across MLB’s League Championship Series broadcast partners including FOX, FS1 and TBS, and MLB-owned platforms such as MLB Network, MLB.com, and the MLB At Bat app.
“The Google Assistant is an incredible tool enabling fans to expand upon their interactions with our game, while driving natural League Championship Series conversations,” said Noah Garden, EVP of Commerce at MLB, in a news release. “It’s been great to collaborate with Google to build creative experiences around the global platforms that both the League Championship Series provide.”
As part of the deal, MLB will create LCS-themed Instagram Stories for all four remaining teams, highlighting Google Assistant’s capabilities. The content will be featured on MLB’s official Instagram account, which has 4.7 million followers.
“Hey Google, when is the next game?”
Game 1 of the NLCS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers airs tonight at 8:09 p.m. on FS1, while the ALCS between the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox begins Saturday at 8:09 p.m. on TBS.
SportTechie Takeaway
This deal is an extension of Google’s previous partnership with MLB that provided YouTube TV with streaming rights for the upcoming World Series. Before the start of the 2018 NFL season, Google partnered with CBS Sports to bring voice-enabled fantasy advice via Google Assistant. Through these partnerships, Google is trying to close the gap with Amazon, whose own speaker accounts for 71 percent of all smart speakers sold in the United States, according to a 2018 survey conducted by Voicebot.
