iHeartMedia Announces New iHeartRadio Offerings Spanning Virtual Assistants, Chatbots, Wearables, Auto and More at CES 2018

Integrations include Facebook Messenger, Roku, Bixby, General Motors, Ford, Jibo and Garmin 

LAS VEGAS – January 8, 2018 – iHeartMedia today announced multiple new integrations for iHeartRadio, the company’s free all-in-one digital music, podcasting and live streaming radio service, during the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Listeners will have the ability to access iHeartRadio through a bot for Facebook Messenger; Samsung’s new voice service, Bixby; Jibo, the first social robot for the home; Garmin’s new GPS running watch, the Forerunner 645 Music; and Roku users will now have access to iHeartRadio’s full feature set. Additionally, through new automotive updates with General Motors and Ford, iHeartMedia continues its commitment to providing quality audio entertainment in-car by creating an easy-to-use iHeartRadio listening experience with safety in mind. 

iHeartRadio recently surpassed 110 million registered users, a milestone that it has reached faster than any other digital music service. In 2017, the company launched iHeartRadio All Access powered by Napster; became an industry leading podcast publisher; and topped 200 platform integrations, making iHeartRadio available in cars, at home, on wearables, via gaming consoles, through virtual assistants, and nearly everywhere listeners want to tune in. iHeartRadio is available in nearly all major OEMs and aftermarket products as well as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and more. In addition, iHeartMedia can be heard in every vehicle reaching more than a quarter of a billion people monthly through its 850 local radio stations nationwide. 

“In 2017, we built on iHeartRadio’s strong foundation of content access and discovery,” said Darren Davis, President of iHeartRadio and iHeartMedia Networks Group. “Consumers are taking advantage of the ease and ubiquity of virtual assistants, smart speakers, set-top boxes and other connected devices, and in doing so, they’re proving that audio is an important part of their day-to-day life. As we look ahead in 2018, we will continue to innovate – blending the iHeartRadio experience seamlessly into the way listeners use the influx of these new smart devices – and as always, make iHeartRadio easily available on the products and platforms they use most.” 

As the leading audio company in America with a greater reach in the U.S. than any other media outlet, iHeartMedia is uniquely poised to lead the way in a new era of media consumption – one where virtual assistants, smart speakers and wearables are experiencing explosive growth. By integrating with the most innovative devices on the market, iHeartRadio enables consumers to access the music, personalities and content they love, whenever and wherever they are. 

Full details on the integrations can be found below:

iHeartRadio bot for Messenger

iHeartRadio today announced the launch of its first bot, available on Facebook Messenger.  People can ask the iHeartRadio bot to hear music based on a specific genre or geographic location, and once selected iHeartRadio will serve up the perfect live radio station. Fans can also choose “iHeartRadio recommends” to hear a randomly chosen offering from one of iHeartRadio’s top ten most popular stations. iHeartRadio will also add more capabilities to the bot soon; fans will be able to ask the iHeartRadio bot to create custom radio stations based on an artist they choose and more.

iHeartRadio has a significant Facebook following, and the bot will make it easier than ever for fans of iHeartRadio to discover new songs and artists via Messenger, a platform where they already interact with friends and other brands.

Roku

Available now, Roku users will have access to all of the iHeartRadio features they love. Through a new update available to all Roku users, listeners can now subscribe and enjoy the benefits of iHeartRadio All Access including instant song playback, unlimited skips, saving and replaying songs from live radio, as well as on demand playlist playback and access to millions of artists and podcasts right from their TV.

Bixby from Samsung and Virtual Voice Assistants

iHeartRadio is now integrated with the Bixby service. Users can ask Bixby to play specific Live and iHeartRadio Original radio stations, create a Custom Artist station, and even set a sleep timer for Bixby to stop playing iHeartRadio after a set amount of time. Additionally, users can ask Bixby to like the song that is playing or skip a song. Bixby is currently available on Samsung Galaxy Note8, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. Visit the Samsung Open IOT Zone at CES to experience iHeartRadio on the Family Hub: LVCC Central Hall, Booth #15006.

The addition of Bixby to iHeartRadio’s platform lineup marks the service’s availability on all major voice-activated virtual assistants including Alexa, Cortana and Google Assistant. Recently, iHeartRadio launched a new lineup of nearly a dozen Flash Briefings for Amazon Alexa equipped devices featuring iHeartRadio’s most popular shows and personalities including On Air With Ryan Seacrest, The Brokaw Report, The Rush Minute, several NBC New Radio category briefings and more. In 2018, iHeartRadio also will continue to develop original skills for virtual assistants that will allow listeners to engage with iHeartRadio via voice and allow brand partners the opportunity to integrate with iHeartRadio in innovative new ways. Previously released skills included iHeartRadio Music Awards Voting on Google Home, iHeartRadio Music Trivia, and seasonal skills like the popular iHeartRadio “Talk to Santa Claus” skill that debuted this December for Amazon Alexa users.

Jibo 

Over the holiday, iHeartRadio partnered with Jibo, the first social robot for the home, to launch Jibo Music, powered by iHeartRadio. When activated by voice commands or through the touch screen, Jibo can stream an iHeartRadio Original station from the user’s preferred music genre, or news and talk content from NPR and NBC News Radio. The robot will dance when Jibo Music launches or when a new song begins playing, giving listeners a fun and unique music experience. Experience the integration during CES at the Jibo Exhibit: LVCC South Hall 3, Booth #30332.

Garmin ® Forerunner 645 Music 

iHeartRadio will be available on the new Garmin Forerunner ® 645 Music, a GPS running watch with integrated music capabilities. As the first music partner available, iHeartRadio All Access users will be able to download playlists directly to the watch for offline listening. Additional details on the Forerunner 645 Music can be found at www.garmin.com. Experience the integration during CES at the Garmin Exhibit: LVCC South Hall 3, Booth #30317.

General Motors

iHeartRadio is now instantly available to more than a million of 4G-LTE connected Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicle owners directly on their digital dashboard.  iHeartRadio is a key music partner and the only pre-set music app GM has rolled-out via an over-the-air software update to the Shop and Collection in-vehicle platform. The iHeartRadio app will continue to be pre-installed on new GM vehicles throughout 2018.

Ford 

Ford will be the first OEM to fully integrate with iHeartRadio’s flagship mobile app, making all features available in car with safety in mind. This major upgrade to the Ford SYNC AppLink integration will bring the on-demand music functionality of iHeartRadio All Access into Ford vehicles allowing drivers to enjoy instant music replay, the ability to save songs from live radio and more. Users will also enjoy thousands of live radio stations from across the country, and the ability to access custom artist stations and playlists.

Visit the FordDev Exhibit at the Tech West Location in the Sands Expo Hall on Tuesday, January 9 from 2-6 p.m. for a live demo of the iHeartRadio integration and Thursday, January 11 in the LVCC Grand Lobby Ford exhibit from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for a live DJ set by iHeartRadio.

CES attendees who would like to experience other iHeartRadio integrations can also visit the following booths: Google Home exhibit at the LVCC Central Plaza, Outside Booth #CP-21; Qualcomm Auto Exhibit at the LVCC North Hall, Booth #5616; and the Jaguar Land Rover mySPIN integration in the Bosch exhibit at the LVCC Central Hall, Booth #14028. 

 

About iHeartMedia, Inc.

iHeartMedia (NASDAQ: IHRT) is the number one audio company in the United States, reaching nine out of 10 Americans every month. It consists of three business groups.

With its quarter of a billion monthly listeners, the iHeartMedia Multiplatform Group has a greater reach than any other media company in the U.S. Its leadership position in audio extends across multiple platforms, including more than 860 live broadcast stations in over 160 markets nationwide; its National Sales organization; and the company’s live and virtual events business. It also includes Premiere Networks, the industry’s largest Networks business, with its Total Traffic and Weather Network (TTWN); and BIN: Black Information Network, the first and only 24/7 national and local all news audio service for the Black community. iHeartMedia also leads the audio industry in analytics, targeting and attribution for its marketing partners with its SmartAudio suite of data targeting and attribution products using data from its massive consumer base.

The iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group includes the company’s fast-growing podcasting business -- iHeartMedia is the number one podcast publisher in downloads, unique listeners, revenue and earnings -- as well as its industry-leading iHeartRadio digital service, available across more than 500 platforms and 2,000 devices; the company’s digital sites, newsletters, digital services and programs; its digital advertising technology companies; and its audio industry-leading social media footprint.

The company’s Audio & Media Services reportable segment includes Katz Media Group, the nation’s largest media representation company, and RCS, the world's leading provider of broadcast and webcast software.

Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.