ARN has extended its iHeartRadio license in Australia, providing millions of listeners with access to the free, all-in-one digital audio entertainment platform until 2036.
The partnership will see ARN broaden its capability and innovation in areas such as smart speaker integration for radio, podcasting development, data profiling and targeting, as well as exclusive access to a global platform development team.
Launched in 2013, iHeartRadio Australia already has over 1.34 million registered users, and offers Australia’s largest podcast library with nearly 3 million episodes available from 25,000 global podcasts, local live radio from ARN, SBS, ABC, ACE and Macquarie Radio networks, international radio from the US and New Zealand, as well as personalised artist radio stations and unlimited genre-based stations tailored to audience or commercial preferences.
iHeartRadio Australia is integrated into over 65 devices in Australia including Google Home, Amazon Echo & Alexa, Telstra TV and Sonos, and more recent integrations including Waze and Android TV.
HT&E CEO and Managing Director, Ciaran Davis, says: “We’re excited to be able to lead the evolution of Australia’s digital audio landscape, working alongside our U.S. partner, iHeartMedia.
“As we move towards becoming a digital and data-enabled audio business, ARN is focussed on creating an unrivalled experience where audiences can access their broadcast and on-demand audio content in one place, and at any time.
“This extension not only strengthens our core brands, but will also see us focus our investment in resources and capability to deliver the most comprehensive audio solutions by extending our content and audience-generating strategies, and delivering rich data sets for all-inclusive, targeted solutions for our clients.”
President of iHeartMedia Networks Group & iHeartRadio, Darren Davis, says: “iHeartMedia has watched ARN strengthen the iHeartRadio Australia brand and platform over the past six years. During this time, the service has experienced impressive growth in usage and engagement, which is no small feat in such a competitive market.
“We are delighted to continue our partnership with ARN, working together to bring Australian audiences more of the music and audio entertainment content they love on the devices they use most.”