IBM-backed The Weather Company announced its strategic partnership with Times Bridge on Wednesday.
In addition to The Weather Company’s trusted and accurate weather reports via The Weather Channel, Times Bridge, the international investment and partnership arm of the Times Group, aims to combine locally relevant articles, photos and video content in both English and Hindi.
Unlike conventional weather forecast apps, The Weather Channel promises to to be a one-of-a-kind weather update application.
Users in India will be able to access temperature and wind maps with satellite radar and alerts. The Weather Channel India will also have features like daily planning recommendations based on weather, sweat index, stories, images and videos about the key weather events of the day and weather news.
India is among the largest producers of agricultural commodities, and The Weather Company’s Hindi content will be largely helpful for farmers when it comes to planning their crops.
Also, the accurate and on-time forecast will help with lifestyle and health decisions such as air pollution. Furthermore, the partnership will also leverage IBM Watson Advertising, which uses advanced data-driven advertising solutions to predict consumer behaviour. By doing this, advertisers can judge the optimal time and place to reach a consumer with the help of Big Data and AI tools.
“At a macro level, the effect of climate change is perhaps one of the most pressing issues of our time. At a micro level, having an accurate forecast helps people plan their wardrobes, commutes and crops. Building solid reporting institutions around this spectrum is critical,” says Thane Richard, Times Bridge’s Senior Director of Publishing and Creative.
Content from Times Bridge and The Weather Company are now ready to be consumed on The Times Of india digital platform and also on The Weather Channel app in India. Desktop users can head over to weather.com/in to access the content.
Disclaimer: TechRadar in India is operated by Times Bridge, the global investment arm of The Times Group.
