Voiceworks has announced the launch of its full-service voice consultancy. It said it will focus on innovative technology, search and content solutions for the rapidly-growing digital assistant marketplace for its UK and international clients. The company will also publish its own content, produced by an in-house team with extensive broadcast careers.

The global smart speaker market is one of the fastest-growing technology sectors. A recent report from analyst MarketsandMarkets forecast that it will grow from USD $1.57bn (£1.24bn) in 2017 to $11.79bn by 2023. Voiceworks said it will help clients maximise voice technology opportunities, and create branded voice content.

The company has also launched a smart speaker sport content service for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant called Sport Social. It is the first human-voiced app to give daily, up-to-date football news during the English Premier League season. Fans across the world will be able to access premium digital audio content in the form of short daily updates, specific to their favourite club; team line-ups; match reports for every Premier League game; and daily podcasts.

The content will be available on demand from the start of the 2019/20 Premier League season on 10 August. Voiceworks said that currently, over a third of smart speaker users are asking for sport content.

The company will be led by Sophie Hind, formerly regional strategy director for media and entertainment group, Global. The Voiceworks team consists of voice, audio, technology and search specialists, all of whom have had successful careers in commercial and public service broadcasting.

Voiceworks has already established an ongoing partnership with AWS Consulting Partner and Alexa Voice agency, Cation Consulting. It said this allows for a full 360-degree offeringfor clients across all platforms.

“The opportunity for voice activation is at an all-time high, with speech recognition now at 95 per cent,” said Hind. “It’s estimated that half of all searches will be made via voice technology next year, so it’s crucial that brands consider their voice-activated offering and strategy. With our broad range of technology, search and broadcast skills, Voiceworks can offer differentiated services that help clients develop all elements of voice experience.

“Research shows that three quarters of regular voice tech users think that brands should have unique personalities and voices for their apps and skills and not just use the smartphone assistant voice. Voiceworks can help brands develop their audio branding strategies so they have a recognisable brand voice, music and sonic identity along with high-quality human voiced content.”