India’s public broadcaster, All India Radio (AIR), has launched its streaming services on Amazon’s Alexa Smart Speakers.

Alexa is a voice-enabled platform led by artificial intelligence that is capable of voice interaction, music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, playing audiobooks, and providing weather, traffic, sports, and other real-time information.

Listeners can now tune in to Vividh Bharati and 14 other regional language streaming services of AIR on Alexa.

The service was launched by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Information & Broadcasting and Sports & Youth Affairs Rajyavardhan Rathore on Friday.

“Launching of AIR's streaming services on Amazon’s Alexa platform would be a synergy of old and modern forms of communication,” he said. He hoped that this initiative will benefit Indian diaspora around the world.

Amazon India Country Manager for Alexa Skills Dilip R.S said: “Listening to music, news and utility messaging is one of the most popular capabilities on Alexa.  Customers love how convenient it is to simply ask Alexa to play songs based on their preferences in different personal and family moments.”

“I’m excited that customers can now listen music, news & utility, public service messages from All India Radio in 14 languages, with over 17 Alexa skills.  You can start with just asking ‘Alexa, open All India Radio FM Gold’ to relieve old melodies,” he further added.

Speaking on the occasion, Prasar Bharati chairman A Surya Prakash said playlist of the AIR's archival assets will also be made available in the Alexa platform “in the future”.

“Already, 390 million people around the world are using voice-based communication and this would almost triple to 1.83 billion people in the next three years,” Rajiv Sawhney, principal tech business development, Amazon Alexa (Asia), said.