SCA on Google Home: It’s news, but not as we know it

Southern Cross Austereo is moving further away from being just a ‘traditional’ radio broadcaster. And its news service is going along for the ride.

SCA has launched a ‘bespoke’ news and sports service for Google’s Assistant suite that reflects the Hit Network and Triple M brands and values.

It will see the SCA news team updating and presenting the briefings across the day on Google Home, with the media giant considering a roll out of up to 16 different briefings over the next few months.

It’s an extra responsibility for the national network of journalists, who’re already crafting and delivering brand-specific content for radio and online. But this will see them move further into a brave new world of news delivery and consumption.

The question is; will users of Google Home automatically think to tap into the news offerings of Hit and Triple M? Is that their ‘go to’ for news? Or will gravitate to other outlets?

SCA would be hoping that brand awareness will bring an audience and is already contemplating expanding it to other voice assistant devices such as Amazon and Apple.

Ultimately, it will depend on whether there is money to be made. A commercial partner has apparently been secured but has yet to be revealed.

But, you’ve got to hand it to SCA for embracing innovation and, to a degree, future-proofing journalists.