CNBC to start selling ads on voice assistance devices

After promising levels of its audience returned each week to use its Alexa skill, CNBC’s global ad sales team will start selling audio sponsorship packages to advertisers in the next few months, reports Lucinda Southern of Digiday.

Southern writes, “The company said its voice audience across Amazon and Google (on which CNBC launched in the U.S. in May) has doubled since January, though the company declined to share absolute numbers. When people interact with skills they are loyal: CNBC said audio audiences are the second most loyal behind those on its iOS and Android app. For the most part, CNBC reaches existing audiences through voice assistant devices, offering them audio content in a more useful way.

“CNBC has created content for Alexa-powered devices in the U.S. since November 2016. In December, CNBC International launched an Alexa flash briefing so audiences in Europe and Asia can get region-specific updates on financial news. CNBC International’s digital team of eight people located in its London and Singapore offices are creating this device-specific content. The CNBC International Alexa skill, which audiences can use to ask for stock quotes from outside of the U.S., will launch in January.

“Of course, much of this growth is due to more people owning devices, said Deep Bagchee, svp of product and technology at CNBC.”

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