Clear Channel Media and Entertainment’s iHeartRadio has added 106 Cox Media Group and Emmis stations to its iHeartRadio digital platform. 86 Cox Media Group radio stations from 19 markets and 20 Emmis Communications radio stations from six markets will be available on the iHeartRadio platform wherever it is offered including the web, mobile devices and in automobiles. The new stations will promote iHeartRadio on-air. Cox Media Group and Emmis will continue to stream their stations on the respective station websites and mobile apps. The groups add to iHeartRadio deals already in place with Cumulus, Greater Media, Univision, EMF’s K-LOVE and Air1 Contemporary Christian stations, WNYC-FM and more.
“Cox Media Group is impressed with the progress that iHeartRadio has made over the last year,” said Doug Franklin, CMG President. “Our strategy is to serve our listeners on as many digital platforms as possible. We look forward to extending our reach in partnership with iHeartRadio.”
“Our team is excited to participate in iHeartRadio’s explosive growth,” said Jeff Smulyan, Emmis CEO. “By joining iHeartRadio, we offer our listeners – including listeners of our premiere hip-hop brands Hot 97 in New York and Power 106 in Los Angeles – a great way to continue to enjoy our stations’ content.”
iHeartRadio is Clear Channel’s free, industry-leading digital radio service that offers more than 1,000 broadcast and digital-only radio stations from 150 cities, plus user-created custom stations inspired by favorite artists and songs. iHeartRadio reached 10 million registered users this past May.
RBR-TVBR observation: For a while there was news of some pushback from some of the stations signed that they had to exclusively stream with iHeartRadio. It looks like that’s not the case—with their own station websites and apps and other streaming aggregators. Hot 97, for example, is still streaming via Tune In. Simply put, in exchange for promoting iHeartRadio over their radio stations, Emmis, Cox and the rest of the stations will take a revenue share on any streaming ad insertions that are placed across any networks of stations that have been established in iHeart. That may be the biggest reason iHeart is signing so many stations from competing groups to Clear Channel.
