Alexa.ChannelController Interface (VSK Fire TV)

When users say utterances to change the channel (e.g., "Alexa, change the channel to PBS"), the Alexa.ChannelController interface sends ChangeChannel directives to indicate that the channel should be changed. These directives are sent when users specify the channel name, call sign, or channel number.

Utterances for ChannelController Directives
Handling ChangeChannel Directives
ChangeChannel Example
Payload Details
Response Example
Error Response

Utterances for ChannelController Directives

Alexa sends a ChangeChannel directive through the ChannelController interface to your Lambda when users say the following utterances.

Feature	Sample Utterances	Expected Response	Version
Go to channel name	Go to fox (schalt auf\|geh zu) <ChannelName> schalt kanal <ChannelName> ein (geh\|schalt\|wechsel\|änder) zum kanal <ChannelName> (geh\|schalt\|wechsel\|änder) zu <ChannelName> kanal (wechsel\|änder) den kanal zu <ChannelName> (wechsel\|änder) den kanal zu <ChannelName> auf <AppName> schalt <ChannelName> auf <AppName> an schalt kanal <ChannelName> auf <AppName> an (geh\|schalte\|wechsel) zu <ChannelName> auf <AppName> (stell\|schalt) <ChannelName> ein auf <AppName> (stell\|schalt\|wechsel) (um zu\|auf) <ChannelName> auf <AppName> schalt kanal <ChannelName> auf <AppName> an mach <ChannelName> auf <AppName> an Va sur <ChannelName> Va sur <ChannelName> vai su <ChannelName> vai a <ChannelName> cambia a antena tres <ChannelName>を検索 vá/vai/ir para o canal <ChannelName> fox पर/पे जाओ/जाइए/जाना/चलो/चलना	The view switches to the channel name, and content from the channel plays.	1.0
Go to channel number	Go to channel thirteen schalt kanal <ChannelNumber> ein (geh\|schalt\|wechsel\|änder) zum kanal <ChannelNumber> (geh\|schalt\|wechsel\|änder) zu <ChannelNumber> kanal (wechsel\|änder) den kanal zu <ChannelNumber> (wechsel\|änder) den kanal zu <ChannelNumber> auf <AppName> schalt <ChannelNumber> auf <AppName> an schalt kanal <ChannelNumber> auf <AppName> an (geh\|schalte\|wechsel) zu <ChannelNumber> auf <AppName> (stell\|schalt) <ChannelNumber> ein auf <AppName> (stell\|schalt\|wechsel) (um zu\|auf) <ChannelNumber> auf <AppName> schalt kanal <ChannelNumber> auf <AppName> an mach <ChannelNumber> auf <AppName> an kanal <ChannelNumber> va sur <ChannelNumber> va sur <ChannelNumber> vai al <ChannelNumber> vai su <ChannelNumber> cambia el canal a la dos channel दस पर/पे जाओ/जाना/जाइए/चलो/चलना	The view switches to the channel number, and content from the channel plays.	1.0
Go to channel callsign	Go to channel k. c. p. q. schalte/änder/geh zu/auf den fernsehsender <ChannelName> geh zum (fernseh)kanal <ChannelName> ändern den (fernseh)kanal zu/auf <ChannelName> va sur <channel> cambia canal a t. p. d. vai su <Channel> vai a <Channel> cambia canal a t. p. d. vá para o canal <CallSign> channel sony पर/पे जाओ/जाना/जाइए/चलो/चलना	The view switches to the channel callsign, and content from the channel plays.	1.0
Watch channel name	Watch fox <ChannelName> auf <AppName> ansehen spiel den kanal <ChannelName> ab mets <ChannelName> joue <ChannelName> mets <ChannelName> joue <ChannelName> guarda <ChannelName> fammi vedere <ChannelName> ver la sexta pon la sexta <ChannelName>を見せて assistir/assiste/assista <ChannelName>Assistir/assiste/assistao <ChannelName> fox देखो/देखिए/देखना/देखें	The view switches to the channel name, and content from the channel plays.	1.0
Watch channel number	Watch channel thirteen Zeige Kanal/Sender <channel number> Kanal/Sender <channel number> anschauen mets la chaîne<ChannelNumber> joue la chaîne<ChannelNumber> mets la chaîne<ChannelNumber> joue la chaîne<ChannelNumber> metti <ChannelNumber> pon canal dos チャンネル<ChannelNumber>を見せて assitir canal <ChannelNumber> channel बारह देखो/देखना/देखिए/देखें	The view switches to the channel number, and content from the channel plays.	1.0

Handling ChangeChannel Directives

The ChangeChannel directive allows customers to tune to a specific channel using voice commands. When users say "Alexa, tune to CNN," you receive a ChangeChannel directive in your Lambda. You then need to change the live TV stream to show the user the correct channel.

To help you understand which directive corresponds with which channel, we have provided a list of possible callsigns for each channel in Channels List.

If you'd like to support additional channels not included in this list, reach out to your Amazon contact, and he or she will coordinate with the right people to get you the information you need on how to handle it.

Alternatively, try asking your Alexa-enabled device to change the channel to whichever channel you like, and then observe the directive received in your Lambda log to check the callsign for yourself. However, it's still best if you flag those channels to your Amazon contact so we can know to prioritize that channel in our voice models. The channel callsign will be available within the callSign field within the channel change directive's payload.

You will not receive information about local channels in the directives — just top level names and callsigns, such as "ABC." It is up to you to perform any localization for your users.

ChangeChannel Example

The following is an example ChangeChannel directive:

{
  "directive": {
    "header": {
      "namespace": "Alexa.ChannelController",
      "name": "ChangeChannel",
      "messageId": "abc-123-def-456",
      "correlationToken": "dFMb0z+PgpgdDmluhJ1LddFvSqZ/jCc8ptlAKulUj90jSqg==",
      "payloadVersion": "3"
    },
    "endpoint": {
      "scope": {
        "type": "BearerToken",
        "token": "access-token-from-skill"
      },
      "endpointId": "device-001",
      "cookie": {

      }
    },
    "payload": {
      "channel": {
          "number": "1234",
          "callSign": "KSTATION1",
          "affiliateCallSign": "KSTATION2",
          "uri": "someUrl"
      },
      "channelMetadata": {
          "name": "Alternate Channel Name",
          "image": "urlToImage"
      }
    }
  }
}

Payload Details

Field	Description	Type	Required
`channel`	Describes a channel.	object	Yes
`channel.number`	A number that identifies the specified channel such as 5 or 12.1	string	No, but `channel.number`, `channelMetadata.name`, `channel.callSign`, `affiliateCallSign` or `uri` must be specified.
`channel.callSign`	Specifies a channel by call sign such as PBS.	string	No, but `channel.number`, `channelMetadata.name`, `channel.callSign`, `affiliateCallSign` or `uri` must be specified.
`channel.affiliateCallSign`	Specifies a channel by local affiliate call sign such as KCTS9.	string	No, but `channel.number`, `channelMetadata.name`, `channel.callSign`, `channel.affiliateCallSign` or `channel.uri` must be specified.
`channel.uri`	The URI of the channel such as "entity://provider/channel/12307"	string	No, but `channel.number`, `channelMetadata.name`, `channel.callSign`, `channel.affiliateCallSign` or `channel.uri` must be specified.
`channelMetadata`	Provides additional information about the specified channel.	object	No
`channelMetadata.name`	Another value that identifies the channel such as "FOX".	string	No, but `channel.number`, `channelMetadata.name`, `channel.callSign`, `channel.affiliateCallSign` or `channel.uri` must be specified.
`channelMetadata.image`	A URL to an image that describes the channel.	string	No

Response Example

You must send an Response event if a request to change channels was successful. The response should include a context object that reports the channel after the request completes.

{
  "context": {
    "properties": [
      {
        "namespace": "Alexa.ChannelController",
        "name": "channel",
        "value": {
          "number": "1234",
          "callSign": "callsign1",
          "affiliateCallSign": "callsign2"
        },
        "timeOfSample": "2017-02-03T16:20:50.52Z",
        "uncertaintyInMilliseconds": 0
      }
    ]
  },
  "event": {
    "header": {
      "messageId": "abc-123-def-456",
      "correlationToken": "dFMb0z+PgpgdDmluhJ1LddFvSqZ/jCc8ptlAKulUj90jSqg==",
      "namespace": "Alexa",
      "name": "Response",
      "payloadVersion": "3"
    },
    "endpoint":{
      "endpointId":"appliance-001"
    },
    "payload":{ }
 }
}

Error Response

If you cannot complete the customer request for some reason, reply with an error. See Error Handling for more details.