TikTok Partners with iHeartMedia to Launch TikTok Radio

TikTok has partnered with iHeartMedia to launch TikTok Radio, a live broadcast station that went live across 28 U.S. markets and the free iHeartRadio app on March 13 at SXSW. The launch is the official on-air debut of a collaboration first announced in November 2025 and includes the simultaneous debut of the TikTok Podcast Network with GEICO as the exclusive launch partner. The partnership extends TikTok's creator economy into broadcast radio and long-form podcasting for the first time.

What the iHeartMedia partnership delivered at SXSW

TikTok Radio broadcasts on 28 stations across New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Nashville, Miami, and Atlanta, and on the free iHeartRadio app. The station's programming mirrors TikTok's For You feed. Recurring segments include Behind-the-Charts, a weekly TikTok song countdown; Hacks on the :20's, trending life hacks airing hourly; New Music Fridays; and On The Verge, a spotlight on emerging artists. iHeart CPO Tom Poleman described the station as "a living, breathing For You Feed."

The TikTok Podcast Network launched alongside TikTok Radio with five creator-hosted shows: Suite 305 with Lele Pons, Caroline's Closet, Sports Slice, The Clifford Show, and The Set List with Carter Gregory. GEICO's exclusive launch sponsorship applies across the full podcast network.

How TikTok is expanding creator monetization beyond the app

The SXSW launch is TikTok's clearest signal yet that it is building distribution infrastructure that extends beyond its core app. Broadcast radio and long-form podcasting carry established advertising models, including host-read sponsorships and programmatic radio buying, that operate independently of TikTok's in-app creator fund.

TikTok's global head of media framed the strategy around career longevity, with the network designed to help creators "turn their passions into lasting careers." For the advertising industry, creators with multi-platform distribution are more durable brand partners than those dependent on a single app's algorithm and policy environment.

What this means for advertisers

GEICO's exclusive launch sponsorship is the most direct indicator of advertiser demand for the new inventory. Podcast advertising commands higher CPMs than short-form social placements, and brand safety perceptions around audio formats are generally more favorable than those associated with open user-generated video content.

TikTok Radio's 28-station broadcast footprint also reaches audiences who do not use the TikTok app, particularly demographic segments that skew older than TikTok's core base. For brands that have limited their TikTok spending due to content adjacency concerns, the iHeartMedia partnership provides a pathway to TikTok creator audiences through a more controlled media environment, with iHeartMedia's established advertiser relationships and sales infrastructure handling the execution.