Google will let you stream free audio commentary for the rest of the March Madness games on Google Home speakers (GOOGL, GOOG)

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Duke forward Zion Williamson (1) dribbles the ball against Central Florida during the first half of a second-round game in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament Sunday, March 24, 2019, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford)Associated Press

  • Google announced on Wednesday that it’s bringing free audio streaming of the rest of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament to any Google Assistant-powered smart speaker — like the Google Home, or the newest Google Home Hub. 
  • Just tell your Google Home: "Hey Google, play NCAA March Madness on Westwood One.”

Still have a chance to win your March Madness bracket, but don’t have anywhere to tune in for the games? 

Google announced on Wednesday that it’s bringing free audio streaming for the rest of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament to its smart speaker devices. The audio streaming will be made possible, it said, via a partnership with radio affiliate, Westwood One. 

Anyone with a Google smart speaker or display, like a Google Home Hub, can access the audio coverage by saying, "Hey Google, play NCAA March Madness on Westwood One.”

Google says that listeners will hear play-by-play commentary from the "largest audio broadcast network in America" and get expert game analysis from the likes of Hall of Famer John Thompson and four-time NBA champion Will Perdue. 

Read more: Google invested in a startup with tech that uses the voices of NFL players to answer questions on Google Home devices

In the past, Google has encouraged sports fans without a place to watch games to sign up for its live-TV streaming service YouTube TV, which comes with a 30-day free trial. In an interview before this year’s Super Bowl in February, Christian Oestlien, VP of Product Management for YouTube TV, told Business Insider that major sporting events "helps bring people in" to the service. 

Offering free access to premium content on its smart speaker devices is an interesting move for Google, and perhaps a strategy it will lean into further as it tries to close the gap on the industry-leading Amazon Alexa. 

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Source: Business Insider – nbastone@businessinsider.com (Nick Bastone)

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