TikTok is hoping to make some noise through a big new audio and podcast partnership with iHeartMedia.
In teaming with iHeart, the viral video app is dropping the visuals: The companies are launching TikTok Radio from iHeart, a live audio channel that will blend content from creators with music. It will launch March 13 on the free iHeartRadio app and on 28 iHeartMedia broadcast stations across the U.S., including in New York, L.A., Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Nashville and Miami.
In addition, iHeartMedia and TikTok are teaming on a slate of podcasts from popular creators for the TikTok Podcast Network, which will be rolling out over the next few months.
Programming on TikTok Radio combines “today’s hottest music with real-time conversation, guiding listeners through what’s breaking now,” and will also highlight content from the TikTok creator podcasts, according to the companies.
TikTok Radio will feature the following signature segments: Behind-the-Charts (a countdown of the 10 biggest songs of the week on TikTok, looking at the story and artist behind the music); Hacks on the :20s (trending life hacks); Hot Takes (about everyday topics in lifestyle and culture); New Music Fridays (highlighting the week’s new releases on Fridays); and On The Verge (featuring music from emerging artists).
The station’s regularly featured host lineup will include iHeart personalities Kayla Thomas (102.7 KIIS FM LA) 12-5 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.–12 a.m. The companies will post updates to the lineup at @tiktokradio on TikTok.
TikTok Radio from iHeart will go live for the first time on March 13 at 9 p.m. Central from the iHeartPodcasts Hotel at SXSW, broadcasting from Austin with a rotating lineup of iHeart and TikTok creators. TikTok creators stopping by throughout the weekend for live interviews are set to include Grace Wells (@gracewellsphoto), Madison Tevlin (@madisontevlin), Eric Sedeño (@ricotaquito) and Bree Stephens (@thewatchedlist). Content captured throughout the event will be featured across iHeart channels, creator platforms and brand partners.
The first wave of shows in the TikTok Podcast Network, to be distributed by iHeart, are “Suite 305 with Lele Pons,” promising to take listeners into “the world’s most unfiltered slumber party”; “Caroline’s Closet,” hosted by fashion editor, author and personality Caroline Vazzana; “Sports Slice,” hosted by Tim Martin; “The Clifford Show,” hosted by former college football player turned viral sports creator Clifford Taylor IV; and “The Set List With Carter Gregory,” hosted by the media personality, music executive, host and cultural tastemaker.
These podcast creators, along with clips, highlights and behind-the-scenes moments from their shows, will be “featured prominently” across TikTok Radio. The TikTok Podcast Network’s exclusive launch sponsor is Geico. Additional details about the TikTok Podcast Network including expanded show concepts, premiere dates, trailers and future creator announcements will be shared in the coming months.
“We couldn’t be more excited to launch TikTok Radio and introduce our inaugural slate of hosts for the TikTok Podcast Network,” said Dan Page, TikTok’s global head of media and licensing partnerships, said in a statement. “At TikTok, empowering creators to turn their passions into lasting careers is core to everything we do, and this partnership unlocks powerful new opportunities for them to expand their voices across radio, podcasts and live moments, while connecting with fans in new ways.”
Tom Poleman, chief programming officer for iHeartMedia, commented: “This next chapter of our multiplatform partnership with TikTok unlocks the full power of both ecosystems — creators, broadcast radio, podcasts, live moments and social – all working together in real time. This station is built to feel like 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. From live broadcasts at SXSW to creator-led podcasts and trend driven radio programming, we’re merging the best of our platforms to amplify creators, elevate emerging voices and deliver fans a 360-degree experience across audio, video and live moments.”
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 investment firm MGX. Beijing-based ByteDance retains 19.9% of the joint venture; the deal brought ByteDance and TikTok into compliance with the U.S.’s TikTok divest-or-ban law that went into effect in 2025.
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