China overtakes US in smart speaker market share
The U.S. no longer leads the smart speaker market, according to new data from Canalys out this morning, which found China's smart speaker shipments grew by 500% in Q1 2019 to overtake the U.S. and achieve a 51% market share. More specifically, Baidu had a huge quarter thanks to an exclusive sponsorship deal with China's national TV channel, CCTV, on its New Year's Gala on Chinese New Year's Eve -- one of the biggest entertainment shows in terms of viewer numbers.