TuneIn creates a premium radio service for sports-minded Alexa users

By Gia Liu Published March 30, 2018

alexa echo goofs — Image used with permission by copyright holder

In honor of opening day for Major League Baseball, internet radio TuneIn launched TuneIn Live, a subscription-based radio service exclusively for Alexa-enabled speakers. Amazon Echo owners will be able to ask Alexa to stream play-by-play broadcasts of MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL games, in addition to breaking news content and radio talk shows. All you have to do is simply say, “Alexa, play the Giants game,” or “Alexa, turn on ESPN,” and you’ll be listening to news, shows, or the big game in no time. Not sure if you will like the service? Those interested can enjoy a seven-day free trial. After the week is up, TuneIn Live will cost $4 a month to maintain. Amazon Prime subscribers can save a bit of money, as their subscription to TuneIn Live will only cost $3 a month.

“There is such a time-honored connection between live radio and sports, baseball in particular,” Tony Archibong, TuneIn’s vice president of distribution and business development, said in a statement. “To have Alexa as the first voice service to offer our premium content, and to be able to provide our extensive portfolio of live sports, breaking news, and up-to-the-minute talk radio to Alexa customers, just in time for Opening Day, we could not be more excited.”

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According to TuneIn, the company has 75 million users around the world. Considering how many Alexa-enabled devices there are in the world nowadays, there will undoubtedly be quite a bit of overlap between TuneIn users and Echo device owners. TuneIn is already a default radio service of Alexa’s, that lets users listen to free radio stations, play podcasts, and more.

In terms of audience size, TuneIn still comes in far behind Spotify, which claims to have 160 million active monthly users, with 70 million of them owning paid accounts for the premium subscription.

For now, TuneIn Live will be available for tuning in only by Alexa users in the United States. As of now, those who own Google Home devices will be left out, even though TuneIn’s free service does, in fact, include Google Assistant smart home speakers. There is no news yet about if or when TuneIn Live will arrive on those Google devices.

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