Pandora And iHeartRadio Step Up Their War To Control The Inside Of Your Car
iHeartRadio announced today at CES in Las Vegas that its app would be available in new Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo and Kia cars. (iHeartRadio is owned by Clear Channel Media and Entertainment.)
Separately - but in not much of a coincidence - Pandora announced it will begin rolling out what it calls "in-car advertising" in the vehicles where its app is already installed.
Pandora has existing deals with Ford and BMW; advertisers on board with its new driver-targeting ads include BP, Ford Motor Company, State Farm and Taco Bell.
Until recently, Sirius XM had dominated streaming music alternatives to traditional FM/AM radio in cars, with its satellite music service, which is installed already in dozens more car models. But as it becomes easier to deliver streaming music via regular wireless service, iHeartRadio and Pandora appear to believe they have found a cheaper way to compete with Sirius.