Audio streaming service TuneIn is partnering with Discord to bring free live radio to the platform. This is TuneIn’s first collaboration with a social media platform and will likely help it reach a larger audience. Discord has a massive user base of 200 million, while TuneIn currently advertises 75 million monthly active users.
The new integration, “TuneIn Radio & Podcasts,” includes TuneIn’s full library of 100,000 local AM/FM radio stations, news, podcasts and sports content. The service also curated music collections specifically for Discord, including stations dedicated to genres like K-pop, Lofi, and Indie.
“The experience is highly curated for Discord,” Rich Stern, CEO of TuneIn, told TechCrunch. He added that this is the first time an audio-only entertainment option is available in Discord’s Activity app directory.
In 2022, Discord launched Activities, a feature in voice channels where users can enjoy shared games and entertainment with friends, including YouTube’s “Watch Together” and activities like “Know What I Meme”. There are currently 23 Activities available.
Discord users can access the new TuneIn Activity on desktop, mobile, and the web by clicking the rocket icon in the voice channel. Users can then explore different listening experiences, having music in the background while studying or listening to a podcast while hanging out with friends.
Stern said the company is “open to pursuing” more partnerships with other communication platforms.
“Our mission is to bring radio everywhere our listeners are, and that includes more partnerships with smart home devices, social media platforms and car manufacturers to power the in-vehicle entertainment experience,” he told us.
Over the past few years, TuneIn has partnered with many companies, including Amazon Alexa-enabled devices, Fisker, Lucid, Rivian’s R1T electric trucks, Skullcandy, and more.
