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
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

iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full iOS 18.5 Release Notes

Tuesday May 6, 2025 2:17 pm PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of iOS 18.5 to developers and public beta testers, giving us a look at the final version of the update that will be provided to the public next week. With the release candidate, Apple provided release notes, so we have a more complete look at the new features that are included in the update, including those that weren't found during the beta...
siri glow

iPhone Users Now Able to Submit Claims in $95 Million Siri Spying Lawsuit

Wednesday May 7, 2025 11:40 am PDT by
If you owned a Siri-compatible device and had an accidental Siri activation between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024, you could be eligible for a payment from Apple as part of a class action lawsuit settlement. Apple in January agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit involving Siri spying accusations, and a website to distribute the funds has now been set up and...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17: What's New With the Cameras

Friday May 2, 2025 3:52 pm PDT by
We've still got months to go before the new iPhone 17 models come out, but a combination of dummy models and leaks have given us some insight into what we can expect in terms of camera changes. Apple is adding new camera features, and changing the design of the camera bump for some models. You might be skeptical of dummy models, but over the years, they've proven to be a highly accurate...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.5 Coming Soon, Here is What's New

Monday May 5, 2025 8:19 am PDT by
In its press release for the new Pride Band today, Apple said that iOS 18.5 is "upcoming," following more than a month of beta testing. We expect the iOS 18.5 Release Candidate to be released this week, and this should be the final beta version, barring any last-minute bugs or changes. The software update should then be released to the general public next week. iOS 18.5 is a relatively...
Nineth iOS 19 Feature

iOS 19 Beta is a Month Away With These New Features for Your iPhone

Thursday May 8, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is just one month away, and there are already many new features and changes that are expected with it. Apple should seed the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Foldable iPhone Said to Have Two Key Advantages

Monday May 5, 2025 6:41 am PDT by
Apple plans to release its first foldable iPhone next year, according to several reporters and analysts who cover the company. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the foldable iPhone will offer two key advantages over other foldable smartphones. First, he said the foldable iPhone will have a "nearly invisible" crease when unfolded. This means the device's...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Apple's Foldable iPhone Display Tech May Set New Industry Standard

Thursday May 8, 2025 3:29 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone will feature a new type of display panel developed by Samsung that has never been used in a foldable product, claims a source with links to Apple's supply chain. According to the account yeux1122 on the Korean Naver blog, the foldable iPhone will use a custom display process for which Apple will hold branding trademark rights, and that meets Apple's stringent ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...

Top Rated Comments

GSPice Avatar
153 months ago
ill stick with pandora. i use the jailbreak tweak that lets me get unlimited skips and have no ads.

Well then it's not Pandora, is it? It's a jailbroken hack to steal free streaming.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tyler23 Avatar
153 months ago
Mandatory video ad every hour? That wont be popular for those with low cap data plans...

Why would someone with low cap data plans be streaming audio when not on wifi to begin with?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chabig Avatar
153 months ago
I guess the thought today is : Why listen to internet radio for FREE on itunes today when you can pay a fee to listen soon? Is that the thinking of everyone?
Sorry, this is nuts...

Those are canned radio stations. You have no choice of songs. iTunes radio is customized for you alone. You can choose music and skip songs you don't want to hear. It's a big difference.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lostanddamned Avatar
153 months ago
How do you steal something that is free ?

It isn't free. The price you pay is that you spend some of your time listening to advertisements that are paying for the bandwidth you use.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Quercus Alba Avatar
153 months ago
and "slate" ads; interactive display ads that will take over whatever screen the consumer is using

That sounds fantastically horrible and completely wrong. Are we sure this is correct?

I'm an iTunes Match subscriber so I'll never see or hear these ads, but wow.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BMcCoy Avatar
153 months ago
Why haven't we got FM radio on the iPhone?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)