Overview
iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbrella brand for iHeartMedia's radio network, the largest radio broadcaster in the United States with 128 million registered users as of 2019. Its main competitors are Audacy, TuneIn and Sirius XM.
iHeartMedia built its national event franchise around the iHeartRadio consumer brand including the iHeartRadio Music Festival, the iHeartRadio Music Awards, iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, iHeartRadio Country Festival, iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina, iHeartRadio Wango Tango and iHeartRadio ALTerEgo.
History
iHeartRadio is owned by iHeartMedia, which was rebranded from Clear Channel in 2014. Prior to 2008, Clear Channel Communications' various audio products were decentralized. Individual stations streamed from their own sites (or, in many cases, did not owing to voluminous syndication and local advertising clearance issues), and the Format Lab website provided feeds of between 40 and 80 networks that were used primarily on Clear Channel's HD Radio subchannels, many of which transitioned to iHeartRadio unchanged. In August 2008, Clear Channel launched the iHeartMusic website, featuring entertainment news, national news, music content including albums, singles on demand, music videos, and access to over 750 Clear Channel radio stations online.
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