• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

2

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

3

Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less

1

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

2

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

3

Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
TechGoogle Assistant

Google Partners With Media Outlets to Launch an Audio News Service for Assistant

Jeff John Roberts
By
Jeff John Roberts
Jeff John Roberts
Editor, Finance and Crypto
Down Arrow Button Icon
Jeff John Roberts
By
Jeff John Roberts
Jeff John Roberts
Editor, Finance and Crypto
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 19, 2019, 1:00 PM ET
A Google Home smart speaker photographed on a kitchen counter, taken on January 9, 2019. Google's new audio news service, Your News Update, involves dozens of media partners, including CNN, Fox News, and NPR.

A Google Home smart speaker photographed on a kitchen counter, taken on January 9, 2019. (Photo by Olly Curtis/Future via Getty Images)
A Google Home smart speaker photographed on a kitchen counter, taken on January 9, 2019. Google's new audio news service, Your News Update, involves dozens of media partners, including CNN, Fox News, and NPR. A Google Home smart speaker photographed on a kitchen counter, taken on January 9, 2019. (Photo by Olly Curtis/Future via Getty Images)Olly Curtis—Future via Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Google on Tuesday announced “Your News Update,” a new audio service that offers a customized news feed with content from CBS, Fox News, CNN, and dozens of other media partners.

The new service, which is available on smart speakers and the Google Assistant app, is the company’s response to what it says is a radio news experience that can feel very pre-internet—one that lacks the ability to easily search or create a personal mix of news stories.

Your News Update will provide users a series of one or two minute news clips based on their interests, including sports and the stock market, and where they live. After the shorter clips are played (or skipped), the news segments get longer and more tailored to the listener’s particular tastes.

Liz Gannes, a product manager for audio news at Google, likens the new service to a morning radio program like NPR’s Morning Edition that offers a fast-moving overview of many topics. The Google service, however, makes it possible to rapidly skip segments, and uses A.I. to adapt to a listener’s preference.

Other media outlets providing content for the Google service include the Washington Post, Axios, Cheddar, and the NBA. In some cases, the audio clips they produce for Your News Update will be taken from conventional broadcasts, while in other cases the clips will be made specifically for Google. An executive with public radio distributor, PRX, told Fortune the company will offer clips from its show The World, while also creating a separate series of 2-3 minute audio segments aimed at a home speaker audience.

Reuters, meanwhile, says it will source much of the content it provides to Google content from its TV service. An executive from the news wire service added that it expects to add content in foreign languages once Google expands the service, which is only available in the U.S. at the outset to other countries.

The media outlets are all being paid to participate in the audio news service, and the content they contribute is not exclusive to Google. The company would not disclose how much it is paying individual partners, but a person familiar with the project said the total investment will be “way over $5 million.”

A Google spokesperson said its outlay is designed in part to seed a larger market for audio news content designed for speakers and voice assistants.

“This is a new and nascent market so we want to support publishers as they create this content, since we strongly believe in the audio web and it’s potential,” said the spokesperson.

While Google’s new audio product is likely to appeal to news junkies, it may be best suited to those who own the company’s hardware like an Android phone or a Google Home speaker, for now. While iPhone owners can access the service by downloading the Google Assistant app, it is not an optimal solution for the home or car. As an alternative, they can ask Apple’s digital assistant, Siri, to read a news briefing—the service is more limited but is optimized for Apple hardware.

For those who do want to try Google’s Your News Update, the service is able to select an initial lineup of shows by drawing on search history and other data associated with a user’s Google account. Users will also be able to provide additional signals about their news preferences—in addition to skipping unwanted segments—by choosing preferred outlets on a settings screen that looks like this:

Google’s Your News Update announcement comes as the company, along with rival Facebook, are pursuing broader initiatives to support news publishers. Those initiatives also coincide with a political backlash against large tech companies, and as traditional news outlets blame Facebook and Google for siphoning off a large share of their ad revenue.

Google’s audio news initiative also comes as tech companies explore how to redesign products for an age of computing that is increasingly being designed by voice. While smart speakers, such as Google Home and Amazon Alexa, have emerged as the break-out voice product, everything from cars to watches are being designed to respond to voice commands.

This story was updated at 3:15pm ET to clarify how Google’s service can obtain data to create an initial lineup of shows.

More must-read stories from Fortune:

—Why the Midwest is a hotbed for innovation
—Nintendo’s Switch Lite helps capture new audiences—women and families
—A new Motorola Razr—and its folding screen—could bring phone design back to the future
—Most executives fear their companies will fail if they don’t adopt A.I.
—How giving thinkers and tinkerers room to experiment builds a better company
Catch up with Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily digest on the business of tech.

About the Author
Jeff John Roberts
By Jeff John RobertsEditor, Finance and Crypto
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jeff John Roberts is the Finance and Crypto editor at Fortune, overseeing coverage of the blockchain and how technology is changing finance.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Lux Capital cofounder Josh Wolfe’s limited-odds, high-stakes 2027 predictions
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Lux Capital cofounder Josh Wolfe’s limited-odds, high-stakes 2027 predictions
By Allie GarfinkleJune 25, 2026
2 hours ago
Micron drives global rally tech stock rally as traders abandon their fear of an AI bubble
InvestingMarkets
Micron drives global rally tech stock rally as traders abandon their fear of an AI bubble
By Jim EdwardsJune 25, 2026
3 hours ago
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (left) and Broadcom CEO Hock Tan holding their new AI chip, “Jalapeño.” (Photo courtesy OpenAI)
NewslettersFortune Tech
OpenAI and Broadcom’s AI chip has a name: Jalapeño
By Andrew NuscaJune 25, 2026
3 hours ago
What bubble? JPMorgan says the $5.5 trillion AI capex explosion is profitable–for now
AIFinance
What bubble? JPMorgan says the $5.5 trillion AI capex explosion is profitable–for now
By Sheryl EstradaJune 25, 2026
3 hours ago
Jen Wong, chief operating officer at Reddit, speaks during the OMR digital and marketing trade fair
Big TechReddit
Reddit COO targets 1 billion users as internet’s ‘odd duck’ aims for new heights
By Sam BirchallJune 25, 2026
3 hours ago
Man in a suit and tie
InvestingAmazon
Bill Ackman, David Tepper, and other billionaire fund managers are quietly piling into Amazon
By Amanda GerutJune 25, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
Success
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 24, 2026
1 day ago
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
Economy
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
By Jacqueline MunisJune 24, 2026
1 day ago
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
Retail
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
22 hours ago
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
Asia
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
23 hours ago
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
2 days ago
Trump’s international student crackdown kicked off a domino effect that could shave nearly $500 billion off the economy
Economy
Trump’s international student crackdown kicked off a domino effect that could shave nearly $500 billion off the economy
By Tristan BoveJune 24, 2026
18 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.