StackAdapt integrates iHeartMedia broadcast radio into programmatic platform

StackAdapt announced on November 10, 2025, an integration with iHeartMedia that brings broadcast radio inventory directly to advertisers through programmatic channels. The partnership enables marketers to plan, forecast, purchase, measure, and report on AM/FM broadcast alongside digital audio, streaming, and podcast inventory within a single platform.

The integration marks a substantial shift in how broadcast radio inventory reaches advertisers. Traditional broadcast radio buying requires manual processes and direct negotiations between advertisers and stations. By making this inventory available programmatically, StackAdapt eliminates these manual workflows and enables data-driven campaign execution across multiple audio formats simultaneously.

"Audio has always been a trusted and powerful medium," said Greg Joseph, VP of Inventory at StackAdapt. "By making broadcast radio available programmatically, we are transforming one of advertising's most established channels for the digital era. This integration enables our clients to reach iHeartMedia's massive listener base with the same speed, efficiency, and transparency they expect from digital."

StackAdapt received recognition as the #1 Audio Advertising Platform on G2 in 2025, reflecting increasing demand among marketers for unified, data-driven audio solutions that deliver measurable performance across channels. The company operates a multi-channel programmatic platform that processes 465 billion automated optimizations per second.

iHeartMedia's broadcast radio stations reach 278 million ad-supported listeners monthly across the United States. Through the StackAdapt platform, advertisers can now target this broadcast inventory using first-party audience segments, behavioral data, or custom parameters alongside other programmatic formats including Connected TV, Digital Out-of-Home, and display advertising.

The technical implementation provides marketers with visibility across every audio format within a single interface. Advertisers can construct full-funnel audio strategies that combine the reach of broadcast radio with the targeting precision of programmatic advertising, while maintaining campaign oversight through unified reporting dashboards.

Lisa Coffey, Chief Business Officer for iHeartMedia, explained the strategic rationale behind the partnership. "This partnership with StackAdapt makes iHeart's premium audio experiences more accessible to the programmatic marketplace," Coffey said. "We are bringing together the reach and trust of broadcast radio with the agility and precision of programmatic buying. For marketers, it is an opportunity to activate at scale in one of the most engaging and brand-safe environments."

Political advertisers represent a significant use case for the new integration. The partnership enables campaigns to combine AM/FM broadcast reach with programmatic precision across local and national markets during the 2026 election cycle. Political advertising increasingly seeks trusted, regulated environments to reach voters at scale, and broadcast radio provides both regulatory compliance and audience reach that digital-only campaigns cannot replicate.

The integration arrives during a period of sustained growth in programmatic audio advertising. Audio accounts for 31% of consumers' total media time but receives only 9% of advertising budgets according to AdsWizz data, creating a 22% gap that represents substantial untapped potential for marketers willing to allocate resources toward audio channels.

AM/FM radio continues to hold 64% of all daily ad-supported audio listening, driven largely by local programming that resonates in rural and remote communities. Broadcast radio remains central to how people consume audio in homes and cars, with the number one use of Alexa Smart Speakers being AM/FM Radio, with iHeart as the most-used radio service.

The partnership represents iHeartMedia's continued expansion of programmatic access to its audio inventory. iHeartMedia and Magnite launched an omnichannel audio advertising marketplace in January 2024, bringing together broadcast radio, streaming radio, and podcast assets for programmatic transactions. The StackAdapt integration extends this strategy by providing another demand-side platform with direct access to iHeartMedia's broadcast inventory.

The collaboration reflects broader industry trends toward unified audio planning tools. Marketers have historically managed broadcast radio campaigns through separate workflows from digital audio campaigns, creating operational inefficiencies and limiting cross-channel optimization opportunities. By consolidating these workflows, platforms enable advertisers to allocate budgets more efficiently across audio channels based on real-time performance data rather than predetermined channel allocations.

The technical architecture enables advertisers to apply the same targeting parameters to broadcast radio inventory that they use for digital channels. First-party data segments, behavioral targeting criteria, and custom audience definitions can now inform broadcast radio buying decisions in real-time rather than through post-campaign analysis and manual adjustments for subsequent flights.

Broadcast radio's regulatory framework provides advantages for certain advertiser categories. Political advertisers face disclosure requirements and equal-time provisions when purchasing broadcast inventory, but these regulations also provide transparency and accountability that some digital channels lack. By making broadcast inventory accessible through programmatic platforms, the integration enables political campaigns to incorporate regulated broadcast placements within broader programmatic strategies.

The integration becomes available immediately to StackAdapt clients across the United States. Advertisers can access iHeartMedia's broadcast inventory through the existing StackAdapt platform interface without requiring additional integrations or setup processes. The implementation follows StackAdapt's pattern of expanding channel access while maintaining unified campaign management capabilities.

StackAdapt has demonstrated consistent focus on audio advertising infrastructure, launching AI-powered assistant Ivy in July 2025 to help agencies and brands accelerate decision-making throughout campaign management processes. The platform's natural language processing capabilities support campaign optimization across programmatic advertising channels including native, display, video, Connected TV, audio, in-game, and Digital Out-of-Home formats.

The partnership addresses measurement challenges that have historically complicated audio advertising. Broadcast radio measurement relies on different methodologies than digital audio measurement, creating comparison difficulties for marketers attempting to evaluate performance across channels. By providing unified reporting across broadcast and digital audio inventory, the integration enables advertisers to compare performance using consistent metrics rather than translating between different measurement standards.

Local programming represents a particular strength of broadcast radio. While digital audio platforms provide personalized listening experiences, broadcast radio stations maintain local connections through community-focused programming, local news coverage, and regional event promotion. These local relationships translate into listener loyalty that national digital platforms struggle to replicate in many markets.

The integration's impact on small and medium-sized advertisers remains significant. Broadcast radio has historically required substantial media budgets to justify the manual planning and negotiation processes involved in campaign execution. Programmatic access reduces these barriers by enabling smaller advertisers to purchase broadcast inventory alongside digital placements without dedicated broadcast media planning resources.

For iHeartMedia, the partnership provides access to demand-side platform budgets that might otherwise flow entirely to digital audio channels. As advertisers consolidate media buying through programmatic platforms, publishers must make inventory accessible through these channels to maintain revenue streams. The integration positions iHeartMedia's broadcast inventory within the workflows advertisers use for programmatic campaign execution.

The collaboration also addresses frequency management challenges across audio channels. Advertisers can now monitor combined exposure across broadcast and digital audio formats, reducing redundant messaging to the same audiences while optimizing reach across different listener segments. This unified frequency management represents a substantial operational improvement compared to managing broadcast and digital campaigns through separate systems.

StackAdapt's recent partnerships demonstrate focus on infrastructure optimization and intelligent automation across programmatic channels. The platform's integration with Index Exchange for ad podding technology resulted in 71% query per second reduction and 25% peak win rate increases, positioning StackAdapt at the forefront of programmatic television advertising technology.

The partnership's timing aligns with broader shifts in audio consumption patterns. While streaming audio continues growing, broadcast radio maintains substantial audience reach, particularly during commute times and in geographic areas with limited broadband infrastructure. By providing access to both broadcast and streaming inventory, the integration enables advertisers to reach audiences regardless of their preferred audio consumption methods.

Timeline

• January 10, 2024: iHeartMedia and Magnite launch omnichannel audio advertising marketplace bringing broadcast radio, streaming, and podcasts to programmatic channels
• May 20, 2024: StackAdapt partners with Samba TV for enhanced CTV measurement and targeting
• June 29, 2025: Digital audio measurement gains standardized approach addressing the 22% engagement gap in audio advertising
• July 1, 2025: StackAdapt achieves 71% QPS reduction through Index Exchange ad podding integration
• July 9, 2025: StackAdapt launches Ivy AI assistant supporting optimization across programmatic channels including audio
• July 15, 2025: Triton Digital adds AI voice cloning for programmatic podcast advertisements
• July 26, 2025: Audio advertising market analysis reveals 22% gap between consumer engagement and advertiser investment
• July 29, 2025: StackAdapt unveils Snowflake native app for first-party data activation across channels including audio
• November 10, 2025: StackAdapt announces iHeartMedia integration bringing broadcast radio inventory to programmatic platform

Summary

Who: StackAdapt, a Toronto-based advertising and marketing technology company, partnered with iHeartMedia, the number one audio company in America with broadcast radio stations reaching 278 million monthly listeners.

What: The partnership integrates iHeartMedia's audio inventory including AM/FM broadcast radio, digital radio, streaming, and podcasts directly into the StackAdapt platform, enabling programmatic buying of broadcast radio inventory alongside digital audio formats with unified planning, forecasting, buying, measurement, and reporting capabilities.

When: StackAdapt announced the integration on November 10, 2025, with immediate availability to StackAdapt clients across the United States.

Where: The integration operates within the StackAdapt platform serving advertisers across the United States, providing access to iHeartMedia's broadcast stations and digital inventory reaching audiences from every corner of the country.

Why: The partnership transforms broadcast radio buying by eliminating manual processes and enabling faster, more precise data-driven decisions across AM/FM broadcast and digital audio, addressing the substantial gap between audio's 31% share of consumer media time and its 9% share of advertising budgets while providing political advertisers with trusted, regulated environments to reach voters during the 2026 election cycle.