iHeartMedia and Magnite Launch a Marketplace for Omnichannel Audio Advertising

In a move to streamline access to the largest audio and podcast publisher in the U.S., iHeartMedia and Magnite this week have announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind marketplace that brings together iHeartMedia’s broadcast radio, streaming radio, and podcast assets for inclusion in omnichannel programmatic media buys.

This partnership will provide advertisers with a direct path to iHeartMedia’s vast audio inventory, enabling them to transact with a data-driven approach via real-time bidding. By leveraging Magnite’s custom technology solutions, advertisers can now access iHeartMedia’s premium inventory across all platforms, including over 860 live local broadcast stations, its iHeartRadio digital service, and its podcast offerings, which make it the #1 podcast publisher in the world.

“With today’s consumers spending a third of their media time with audio, expanding programmatic’s access to iHeart’s audio assets is imperative for the industry,” said Brian Kaminsky, Chief Data Officer and President of Revenue Strategies for iHeartMedia. “Not only are we expanding what role programmatic can play for advertisers, we are also improving the efficacy of their campaigns by allowing them to use real-time data to message their audience in the most engaging way possible, in an environment of trust and interest. We’re excited to expand our partnership with Magnite because they have proven expertise in programmatic and the ability to build technology fit for the unique needs of audio advertising to take its place in omnichannel.” 

“Establishing more direct connections within the advertising supply chain benefits both publishers and buyers and we’re proud to build technology to facilitate this for the largest media owners in the world like iHeartMedia,” said Sean Buckley, Chief Revenue Officer at Magnite. “We’ve worked closely with iHeartMedia to develop bespoke and new-to-market solutions for podcast and audio. Consolidated paths will continue to gain momentum and we look forward to continuing to pave the way in this effort.” 

“The premium audio marketplace created by iHeart provides PMX clients with direct programmatic access to scaled, high-quality audio inventory,” said Jay Askinasi, CEO, PMX US and Chief Growth Officer, Publicis Groupe. “As we expand our PMX Lift solution to connect across platforms, including audio, it will be important to have this combination of broadcast and digital assets and data to achieve better efficiency, control and analytics and drive greater value and insights for our clients.”