A new technology and content distribution agreement between iHeartMedia and TuneIn will put iHeart’s roster of 850 radio stations on the TuneIn streaming platform. Under terms of the agreement, iHeartMedia becomes TuneIn’s local ad sales representation partner, while TuneIn will use Triton Digital to monetize local inventory.
The deal marks the first major Triton partnership in the U.S. since iHeart paid $230 million to acquire it from E.W. Scripps Co. on March 31.
For iHeart, the deal opens up another platform where consumers can access its AM/FM radio streams. For TuneIn, it creates new ways to monetize inventory on its platform through both direct and programmatic sales via Triton’s audio ad tech.
As part of the partnership, TuneIn will use Triton Digital’s audio Supply Side Platform (SSP). This will enable sales in two ways: direct sales through iHeartMedia’s local salesforce; and programmatic transactions via TuneIn’s salesforce to reach audio publishers’ inventory across TuneIn’s 200 consumer platform touchpoints.
The TuneIn and iHeart partnership is a great marriage of content and technology enabled by Triton’s cutting edge and comprehensive suite of audio advertising technology to support streaming audio and podcasts businesses with both direct and programmatic sales.