The capabilities of home smart devices have grown exponentially since their inception. And now that voice-based assistants have become commonplace, the recent introduction of visual smart devices like Amazon’s Echo Show are shifting the IoT trend to a more engaging and dynamic medium— video. For publishers and brands alike, the creation of content for these new visually-driven distribution platforms is now of paramount importance in order to continue reaching audiences wherever they are, and stay one step ahead of the competition.

Mail Plus, the digital subscription-based edition of the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday, stands as one of the first news brands to launch an Alexa Skill for the Echo Show – and as of today, we’re excited to announce our latest partnership with Daily Mail to produce video content for this new medium. You can read the full press release here.

Within days of integrating Wibbitz into our newsroom’s daily workflow, our editors, with or without video experience, were able to easily produce quality video. It has played a significant part in establishing a solid foundation for our success with mobile apps and Amazon Alexa devices”

– Simon Regan-Edwards, Production Director at Mail Plus

With Wibbitz, the Mail Plus team is now able to publish high-quality video content optimized for the Echo Show that fits the visual brand they’ve established across their digital channels, and provide their Subscribers with a hands-free viewing experience. Users that subscribe to Daily Mail Skills can receive a daily video briefing around the hottest stories:

And through the Mail Recipes Skill, users are able to learn recipes, listen, watch and cook all in one place:

We’re proud to be powering this innovation within the publishing industry, especially with such a leading force in news media. Wibbitz has always worked to make video an essential part of any digital experience, and with Daily Mail, we will further showcase the possibilities video can have with IoT devices. We look forward to inspiring more content creators to prioritize visual smart devices like the Echo Show in their strategies, and make video a part of their audience’s daily experiences.