Bell Media to expand iHeartRadio brand across Canada through digital platforms, live events, auto dashes, and more –
NEW YORK and TORONTO (January 6, 2016) – Bell Media, Canada’s leading media company, and iHeartMedia, the leading media company in America with a greater reach in the U.S. than any other radio or television outlet, today announced an exclusive new partnership that will bring the iHeartRadio brand to Canada in 2016.
The iHeartRadio digital service in Canada will showcase content from Bell Media, Canada’s largest radio broadcaster with 106 licensed radio stations in 54 markets across the country.
Since its launch in 2011 at the inaugural iHeartRadio Music Festival, iHeartRadio has continued to be a leading digital service in the United States and has achieved 80 percent brand awareness in only a few short years. Upon launch, iHeartRadio in Canada will provide instant access to the live radio feature offering listeners throughout Canada all of Bell Media’s broadcast and digital-only radio stations across mobile, auto dashes, tablets and smartphones, gaming consoles, wearables and more. The partnership will also bring iHeartRadio-branded events to Canada.
“We are partnering with the fast-rising iHeartRadio brand to develop its incredible presence in Canada through our leading platforms,” said Randy Lennox, President, Entertainment Production and Broadcasting, Bell Media. “We will deliver a digital service that will serve our listeners across the country, providing them with great music, news and sports, as well as relevant and customized content from Bell Media radio and television assets, while providing dynamic and measurable advertising opportunities to our clients.”
“Joining with Bell Media to extend the iHeartRadio brand with Canadians is an exciting moment for us,” said Darren Davis, President of iHeartRadio. “This partnership allows us to connect with even more music fans and radio listeners and we know Canadians will enjoy the service as much as our listeners in the U.S.”
“Partnering with Bell Media and launching iHeartRadio to our neighbours in Canada is an important milestone in further expanding our international footprint,” said Michele Laven, President of Business Development and Partnerships for iHeartMedia. “This new partnership will allow us to work with distribution partners, including auto and consumer electronics, to extend our brand and reach even further.”
A leader in innovative radio programming throughout Canada, Bell Media features the country’s most dynamic, popular and respected radio brands, including Toronto’s CHUM FM, Canada’s #1 FM station, and the ÉNERGIE group in Québec, as well as international brands like Virgin Radio.
In the U.S., iHeartRadio, the all-in-one streaming music and live digital radio service, delivers listeners instant access to thousands of live radio stations, plus user-created Custom Stations inspired by a favourite artist or song, thousands of curated digital stations “Perfect For” any mood or activity and more. iHeartRadio has more than 700 million downloads of the app and nearly 80 million social media followers and 90 million digital uniques across the iHeartRadio Network. In addition, iHeartRadio has surpassed 75 million registered users and continues to deliver record-setting growth. It reached this milestone at a faster rate than any other radio or digital music service and even faster than Facebook. iHeartRadio’s registered user milestone does not account for the millions of listeners who tune into iHeartRadio’s live radio streams without registering.
iHeartRadio is currently available across the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, with Canada to follow later this year.
About Bell Media
With passion and an unrelenting commitment to excellence, Bell Media creates content and builds brands that entertain, inform, engage, and inspire audiences through the platforms of their choice. Bell Media is Canada’s premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media. Bell Media owns 30 local television stations led by CTV, Canada’s #1 television network; 34 specialty channels, including TSN and RDS, Canada’s most-watched specialty channels in English and French; and four pay TV services, including The Movie Network and Super Écran. Bell Media is also Canada’s largest radio broadcaster, with 106 licensed radio stations in 54 markets across Canada. Bell Media owns Astral Out of Home, one of Canada’s most dynamic and innovative out-of-home advertising companies with a network of more than 13,500 advertising faces in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Québec, and Nova Scotia. Bell Media also operates more than 200 websites; delivers TV Everywhere with premium subscription on-demand streaming service CraveTV, as well as its innovative GO video streaming services including CTV GO, Discovery GO, TMN GO, and TSN GO; operates multi-channel network Much Digital Studios; holds an equity stake in digital startup Hubub; is partners in Cirque du Soleil Media, a joint venture with Cirque du Soleil; and owns Dome Productions Inc., a multi-platform production company. Bell Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada’s largest communications company. For more on Bell Media, please visit www.bellmedia.ca.
About iHeartMedia
With 245 million monthly listeners in the U.S., 87 million monthly digital uniques, over 75 million social followers and 196 million monthly consumers of its Total Traffic and Weather Network, iHeartMedia has the largest reach of any radio or television outlet in America. It serves over 150 markets through 858 owned radio stations, and the company’s radio stations and content can be heard on AM/FM, HD digital radio, satellite radio, on the Internet at iHeartRadio.com and on the company’s radio station websites, on the iHeartRadio mobile app, in enhanced auto dashes, on tablets and smartphones, and on gaming consoles.
iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s digital radio platform, is the No. 1 all-in-one digital audio service with over 800 million downloads; it reached its first 20 million registered users faster than any digital service in Internet history and reached 70 million users faster than any other radio or digital music service and even faster than Facebook. The company’s operations include radio broadcasting, online, mobile, digital and social media, live concerts and events, syndication, music research services and independent media representation. iHeartMedia is a division of iHeartMedia, Inc. (OTCBB: IHRT). Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.
