TikTok Radio Returns on iHeartRadio App and 28 U.S. Stations — What It Means for Radio's Future

The TikTok–iHeart deal signals a new era of the 'common radio app' — one platform for social, broadcast, and streaming. Korea's broadcasters should be paying close attention.

틱톡 라디오(TikTok Radio), 아이하트라디오(iHeartRadio) 앱 타고 미국 전역 28개 방송국으로 귀환

틱톡, 미국 내 법적 불확실성을 털어낸 직후, 아이하트라디오라는 ‘공용 라디오 앱’을 발판으로 소셜·지상파·팟캐스트를 한 번에 묶는 오디오 생태계로 첫 발. 한국 라디오에 던지는 질문

K-EnterTech HubJung Han

Radio isn't dying — the way people listen is changing. Younger audiences already discover music on TikTok and stream it for free on their phones. Broadcast radio has unmatched national reach but fails to capture these digital-native listeners. TikTok, in turn, commands hundreds of millions of users but lacks the audio infrastructure to build lasting listening habits. The answer to both problems is the same: a single, free app that brings social content, broadcast radio, and podcasts together under one roof.

TikTok's decision to leave SiriusXM and partner with iHeartMedia is the clearest expression yet of this structural shift. By aligning with iHeartRadio — a free, ad-supported app that already aggregates broadcast, podcast, and streaming content — TikTok has fused the reach of social-platform creator culture with the infrastructure of traditional radio into a single ecosystem. For Korea's broadcasters, the message is direct: while KBS, MBC, and SBS radio each run separate apps and fragment their own audiences, global platforms are quietly completing a winner-takes-all 'common radio app' model. The window to respond is narrowing.

■ Free App + 28 Broadcast Stations: A Dual Infrastructure Play

TikTok Radio from iHeart is a live audio channel blending creator content with music. It launches March 13 simultaneously on the free iHeartRadio app and across 28 iHeartMedia broadcast stations in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Nashville, Miami, and more.

The channel's move from SiriusXM to iHeart comes down to one word: free. SiriusXM operates on a paid subscription model. iHeartRadio is ad-supported and costs nothing — accessible to anyone with a smartphone. For TikTok, whose entire user base is already comfortable living inside an app ecosystem, iHeartRadio is the natural bridge to convert social scrollers into habitual radio listeners. The deal was announced last November, with plans for up to 25 new podcasts from TikTok creators.

Programming centers on five signature segments: Behind-the-Charts (a weekly countdown of TikTok's top 10 songs with artist backstories); Hacks on the :20s (trending life hacks every 20 minutes); Hot Takes (lifestyle and culture commentary); New Music Fridays (new releases each week); and On the Verge (emerging artists). Five iHeart DJs anchor the schedule: Kayla Thomas (102.7 KIIS-FM LA, midnight–5 a.m.), Ashlee Young (Houston, 5–10 a.m.), Jon Comouche (104.3 MYfm LA, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.), Becky Mits (Star 94.1 San Diego, 3–8 p.m.), and Angelina Narvaez (Wild 94.9 San Francisco, 8 p.m.–midnight).

The inaugural broadcast goes live March 13 at 9 p.m. CT from the iHeartPodcasts Hotel at SXSW in Austin. TikTok creators Grace Wells (@gracewellsphoto), Madison Tevlin (@madisontevlin), Eric Sedeño (@ricotaquito), and Bree Stephens (@thewatchedlist) are among those scheduled for live interviews throughout the weekend.

■ Turning Creators into Radio Stars: The TikTok Podcast Network

Beyond the live channel, the partnership launches the TikTok Podcast Network, distributed by iHeart. The inaugural slate features: Suite 305 With Lele Pons; Caroline's Closet, hosted by fashion editor Caroline Vazzana; Sports Slice, hosted by Tim Martin; The Clifford Show, hosted by former college football player turned viral creator Clifford Taylor IV; and The Set List With Carter Gregory, hosted by media personality and music executive Carter Gregory. Geico is the exclusive launch sponsor. Additional shows and premiere dates will be announced in the coming months.

Dan Page, TikTok's global head of media and licensing partnerships, said empowering creators to build lasting careers is "core to everything we do," adding that the partnership "unlocks powerful new opportunities for them to expand their voices across radio, podcasts and live moments." iHeartMedia Chief Programming Officer Tom Poleman described the channel as "a living, breathing For You Feed — a place where creators, music fans and our on-air talent collide in real time to shape what's next in culture."

■ TikTok Secured in the U.S. — What's Next, and Why Korea Must Watch

The backdrop to this expansion is TikTok's newly stabilized position in the American market. In January, under a deal brokered by the Trump administration, ByteDance sold a majority stake in TikTok's U.S. business to non-Chinese investors including Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi's state-owned fund MGX. ByteDance retains 19.9% of the joint venture. With its legal standing secured, TikTok's first major move into audio media is this iHeartMedia partnership.

For Korea's broadcasting industry, the implications run in two directions. First, the absence of a common radio app is an accelerating vulnerability. Korean broadcasters force listeners to download separate apps for each network — a friction cost that compounds over time and pushes audiences toward global platforms that offer everything in one place. The iHeartRadio model is proof that consolidation wins.

Second, and more immediately, TikTok's new partnership with iHeartMedia creates a concrete pipeline for K-pop and Korean creator content to reach U.S. broadcast radio. With TikTok now embedded in a national terrestrial network, Korean artists and creators who build audiences on TikTok have a clearer path than ever to American airwaves. The question is whether Korea's broadcasters and content companies will position themselves to move through that opening — or watch others do it first.