Apple teams up with TuneIn to boost radio features amid streaming competition

Apple will distribute its curated radio stations on a global network of devices, including speakers, headphones and cars, through a partnership with TuneIn, the digital radio platform said on Wednesday.

The Cupertino, California-based technology giant's six radio stations will be available outside its app for the first time on TuneIn to its 75 million monthly active users.

Apple's push into radio comes as competition in the music streaming industry heats up, with companies such as Spotify making inroads into supporting new formats such as video podcasts and messages.

The Wall Street Journal had first reported the move earlier in the day. The report, citing MIDiA Research, said Apple's market share of digital music subscribers in the U.S. fell to 25 per cent at the end of last year, from 30 per cent in 2020, while Spotify's increased.

According to the report, which quoted TuneIn CEO Richard Stern as saying, Apple had approached the digital radio platform about a tie-up around the end of last year.