Report: Audacy Considering Premium Commercial Free Tier

Radio broadcaster Audacy is exploring a plan that would allow users of its streaming radio app to listen to commercial-free music, news and sports programming for a monthly fee, according to  The Desk.net.

The plan would see Audacy replace commercial breaks on its traditional AM and FM radio stations with “exclusive content like additional news, interviews or songs, all while remaining in sync with the live broadcast.”

Details of the potential strategy were first revealed in a survey some smartphone and tablet users received when they streamed audio content through the Audacy app over the last few weeks.

The survey asked Audacy listeners to choose how much they’d be willing to pay for commercial-free radio, with the prices starting at $1 per month and going as high as $11 a month, according to a copy of the survey reviewed by The Desk. A follow-up question presented a similar list of options, but asked users to weigh in on the maximum price they’d be willing to pay before they thought a premium radio subscription was too expensive.

The questionnaire closed out by asking radio listeners to pick from a drop-down list of other premium offerings that would make them more likely to pay for a commercial-free radio subscription. The options included the ability to restart a song from the beginning, branded station swag and subscriber-only events.

Officials at Audacy have not spoken publicly about the potential plan.

Audacy’s consideration of a premium, commercial-free streaming radio offering comes at a time when traditional media companies are starting to focus more streaming platforms as the future of their businesses.

Audacy’s main competitor, iHeartMedia, has offered a premium streaming product through its iHeartRadio app for years. The plan, called iHeartRadio Plus, costs $5 a month and allows streamers to replay songs airing on AM and FM radio stations and access premium versions of on-demand stations and playlists. Likewise, radio aggregator TuneIn offers a premium tier of service that costs $10 a month and offers access to commercial-free news streams, play-by-play from professional sports teams and more than 120,000 audiobooks.