iTunes Radio to Debut in September with Multiple High-Profile Advertising Partners
Apple's iTunes Radio will debut in September with a number of brand partners including McDonald's, Nissan, Pepsi, and Procter & Gamble, reports AdAge. Under the terms of the deal, Apple's launch partners will get exclusive ads within their industries through the end of 2013.
The deals range from the high single-digit millions of dollars to tens of millions of dollars and include a 12 month advertising campaign to run within the streaming music service for each of the participating brands.
First introduced at WWDC, iTunes Radio is Apple’s upcoming Internet radio service that functions similarly to Pandora, offering up personalized radio stations based on artist or song selections.

iTunes Radio is free, but is supported with both interstitial audio and video ads along with standard mobile ads. iTunes Match subscribers, however, can enjoy an ad-free experience.
Advertisements on iTunes Radio will come in three forms: interstitial audio and video ads and "slate" ads; interactive display ads that will take over whatever screen the consumer is using. That includes iPhones, iPads, all desktops and laptops loaded with iTunes (including Windows PCs) and Apple TV, the Apple device that brings Internet connectivity and apps to TVs.
iTunes Radio listeners will hear one audio ad every 15 minutes and will see a video ad each hour. While initial ads will run on all devices, advertisers will later be able to target ads to specific devices. Launch partners will also have the opportunity to create sponsored stations that have fewer ads than standard radio stations.
According to reports, Apple's iAd staff is responsible for securing the advertising deals that support the streaming music service. iTunes Radio represents a new opportunity for iAd, which was originally envisioned as a way to help developers earn money on the iOS platform. iAd has been historically unsuccessful in terms of attracting both developer interest and revenue, but with the new audio ads, Apple will be able to keep 90% of the money it earns instead of shelling out a large portion to developers.
iTunes Radio is bundled into iOS 7 and will likely debut during Apple's September 10 iPhone event.
Popular Stories
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below.
Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone.
In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker.
According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
One thing worth...
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found.
Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future.
"I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
You'd expect things to be starting to wind down for the holidays by now, but that doesn't seem to be the case yet in the world of Apple news, with Apple just about ready to release iOS 26.2 and other operating system updates to the public.
There was also a flurry of news this week about Apple executive departures, some expected and some not so expected, while we also learned that Apple and...
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports.
iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...