Liberty Global picks Nuance for expanded voice services

Liberty Global has announced a partnership with Nuance Communications to improve accessibility for Virgin Media O2 customers in the UK.

The operator will utilise the Nuance Dragon TV tech platform, including capabilities that provide enhanced support for visually impaired customers, such as reading aloud program information.

Nuance Dragon TV, powered by Nuance conversational AI, currently handles more than 1.5 billion interactions every month, with the average user making 100 voice requests. The company said that over 70% of subscribers that use Dragon TV capabilities within the first month still navigate and search with their voice nine months later.

Pieter Vervoort, vice president Entertainment Products, Liberty Global, said: “Seamless, personalised TV experiences with voice‑enabled AI technologies are the future of entertainment, and we believe every customer should be able to experience and benefit from these capabilities. By partnering with Nuance, we’ve made it easier for all of our customers to enjoy voice‑enabled entertainment experiences, better customer service and easier navigation between channels and apps, building upon the voice enabled services our already customers enjoy.”

Tony Lorentzen, SVP of Intelligent Engagement Solutions, Nuance, said: “Today’s TV subscribers have so many options and content to sort through, with more being developed daily. A voice-enabled experience can make sorting and finding content easy, opening up new opportunities for viewers and providers alike. Liberty Global continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible with voice, always keeping in mind the needs of their diverse customer base. We’re thrilled to further expand our partnership with them to increase accessibility and create better experiences for their subscribers.”