London Live, the English capital’s TV channel, will be the first broadcaster in the UK to partner with Waze when its new live traffic update service is launched next week.
Viewers will receive the latest real-time reports on live traffic conditions and incidents during morning and evening rush hour commutes, provided by Waze. The free crowd-sourced navigation app is powered by 50 million monthly users from around the world, who contribute real-time road data.
London Live will provide comprehensive traffic updates for all road users and viewers for major events happening in and around the capital, monitoring events such as the Notting Hill Carnival, music festivals, protest marches, sporting events and marathons.
Data provided by local Waze users (Wazers) on the road will be used to alert viewers to unusual traffic conditions as soon as they develop.
Waze users also have the opportunity to join the London Live Waze Team Account, where they will be able to share live updates, photos and reports directly from the scene straight to the London Live newsdesk, sharing their experiences of current road conditions, accidents, police incidents or hazards along their routes to alert other drivers and viewers.
Launched in March 2014, London Live is the city’s first TV channel, offering Londoners the latest in entertainment, news, current affairs and events. It has shown steady growth over the last 16 months across reach, share of viewing and commercial impacts. Over 2.5 million viewers tune in to the channel per month, which equates to 26% of all Londoners, with London Live attracting more than a million viewers in an average week.
“We are thrilled that we have partnered with Waze. Using this service we will enable our viewers to directly share their traffic news with the London Live audience, and contribute to what we hope will become the most comprehensive and dynamic traffic news resource for London,” commented Jim Grice, head of news and current affairs at London Live. “London is a dynamic cosmopolitan city which is home to over 8.5 million people. It is hugely important that we provide the most up-to-date information to our viewers, so that we can enable Londoners to plan or re-route their journeys if necessary, particularly around major events around the capital.”
Carlos Gomez, head of Waze European growth, said, “We have nearly 400,000 monthly active users in London, driving nearly 141.5 million kilometers and contributing nearly 835,000 alerts like potholes and accidents each month. As our first Waze for Broadcasters partner in the UK, London Live has unprecedented free access to our data to quickly and effectively analyze traffic in their area. We’re excited to see how London Live harnesses the power of these insights to alert drivers of real-time traffic issues, road closures and emergency incidents that can impact daily commutes.”
