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LAS VEGAS — iHeartRadio made a bunch of new friends at the Consumer Electronics Show.
iHeartRadio
The music-streaming company said it will integrate its service into a number of high-profile products, including Sony’s Playstation 3 and 4 gaming consoles, TiVo’s digital video recording devices and Dish’s Hopper set-top box. On the car front, iHeartRadio will be available in car system manufacturer Clarion’s newest cloud-connected in-dash infotainment system, and was part of a concept car unveiled by BlackBerry’s QNX unit.
iHeartRadio, which is also a terrestrial radio giant, is following the strategy of other online services and ensuring its streaming music can be heard from all manner of devices. The service is one of the top four online streaming music players, which include leader Pandora, Spotify and Apple’s iTunes Radio.
These announcements in particular push iHeartRadio past just being a smartphone app, providing access to televisions and video game consoles.
“This is a big step into the home,” said Brian Lakamp, president of technology and digital ventures for iHeartMedia. “We’re making sure we’re everywhere our consumers are.”
He said roughly 60 percent of its users listen to iHeartRadio on their phone.
While much younger than Pandora, iHeartRadio has shown impressive growth, hitting 50 million users three years into its existence. That’s faster than Pandora, and even popular social networks Facebook and Twitter. Lakamp said it has 60 million registered users.
The streaming service will be on a number of Sony products, including select television and mobile devices, as well as the Playstation 4 and its predecessor system, the Playstation 3.
In the next few weeks, iHeartRadio will be available on the TiVo Roamio, TiVo Mini and TiVo Premiere after a rolling software update.
iHeartRadio was also part of the unveiling of the Google Cast, a Chromecast-like dongle that enables people to fling music from their smartphones to nearby speakers.
LG is also getting into the mix, integrating iHeartRadio into its latest smart televisions, as well as its new LG Flow Wi-Fi series home audio system.
Dish will update its Hopper set-top box and Joey speakers so that they can play “streaming zones” that can be controlled from an Android or iOS app. The app will allow users to stream music to any room in the house through a Joey speaker.
Clarion will include the iHeartRadio app in its latest cloud-connected in-dash infotainment system. The service’s Total Traffic Network information will be integrated into Clarion’s GPS, allowing for real-time updates of incidents and traffic speeds.
