ƹϴýAnnounces New iHeartƹϴý 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 – ƹϴýtoday announced multiple new integrations for , 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 iHeartƹϴý 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 iHeartƹϴý’s full feature set. Additionally, through new automotive updates with General Motors and Ford, ƹϴýcontinues its commitment to providing quality audio entertainment in-car by creating an easy-to-use iHeartƹϴý listening experience with safety in mind.
iHeartƹϴý recently surpassed 110 million registered users, a milestone that it has reached faster than any other digital music service. In 2017, the company launched ; became an industry leading podcast publisher; and topped , making iHeartƹϴý available in cars, at home, on wearables, via gaming consoles, through virtual assistants, and nearly everywhere listeners want to tune in. iHeartƹϴý is available in nearly all major OEMs and aftermarket products as well as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and more. In addition, ƹϴýcan be heard in every vehicle reaching more than a quarter of a billion people monthly through its nationwide.
“In 2017, we built on iHeartƹϴý’s strong foundation of content access and discovery,” said Darren Davis, President of iHeartƹϴý and ƹϴýNetworks 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 iHeartƹϴý experience seamlessly into the way listeners use the influx of these new smart devices – and as always, make iHeartƹϴý 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, ƹϴýis 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, iHeartƹϴý 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:
iHeartƹϴý bot for Messenger
iHeartƹϴý today announced the launch of its first bot, available on Facebook Messenger. People can ask the iHeartƹϴý bot to hear music based on a specific genre or geographic location, and once selected iHeartƹϴý will serve up the perfect live radio station. Fans can also choose “iHeartƹϴý recommends” to hear a randomly chosen offering from one of iHeartƹϴý’s top ten most popular stations. iHeartƹϴý will also add more capabilities to the bot soon; fans will be able to ask the iHeartƹϴý bot to create custom radio stations based on an artist they choose and more.
iHeartƹϴý has a significant Facebook following, and the bot will make it easier than ever for fans of iHeartƹϴý 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 iHeartƹϴý features they love. Through a new update available to all Roku users, listeners can now subscribe and enjoy the benefits of iHeartƹϴý 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
iHeartƹϴý is now integrated with the Bixby service. Users can ask Bixby to play specific Live and iHeartƹϴý Original radio stations, create a Custom Artist station, and even set a sleep timer for Bixby to stop playing iHeartƹϴý 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 iHeartƹϴý on the Family Hub: LVCC Central Hall, Booth #15006.
The addition of Bixby to iHeartƹϴý’s platform lineup marks the service’s availability on all major voice-activated virtual assistants including Alexa, Cortana and Google Assistant. Recently, iHeartƹϴý launched a new lineup of nearly a dozen Flash Briefings for Amazon Alexa equipped devices featuring iHeartƹϴý’s most popular shows and personalities including On Air With Ryan Seacrest, The Brokaw Report, The Rush Minute, several NBC New ƹϴý category briefings and more. In 2018, iHeartƹϴý also will continue to develop original skills for virtual assistants that will allow listeners to engage with iHeartƹϴý via voice and allow brand partners the opportunity to integrate with iHeartƹϴý in innovative new ways. Previously released skills included , iHeartƹϴý Music Trivia, and seasonal skills like the popular that debuted this December for Amazon Alexa users.
Jibo
Over the holiday, iHeartƹϴý partnered with Jibo, the first social robot for the home, . When activated by voice commands or through the touch screen, Jibo can stream an iHeartƹϴý Original station from the user’s preferred music genre, or news and talk content from NPR and NBC News ƹϴý. 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
iHeartƹϴý will be available on the new Garmin Forerunner ® 645 Music, a GPS running watch with integrated music capabilities. As the first music partner available, iHeartƹϴý 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 . Experience the integration during CES at the Garmin Exhibit: LVCC South Hall 3, Booth #30317.
General Motors
iHeartƹϴý 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. iHeartƹϴý 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 iHeartƹϴý app will continue to be pre-installed on new GM vehicles throughout 2018.
Ford
Ford will be the first OEM to fully integrate with iHeartƹϴý’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 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 iHeartƹϴý 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 iHeartƹϴý.
CES attendees who would like to experience other iHeartƹϴý 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.