The challenge was significant: TuneIn had built its audience on free radio. Converting listeners into paying subscribers required a value proposition that went well beyond ad removal — we needed content that couldn't be found anywhere else.
What We Launched
TuneIn Premium launched on August 25, 2015, in the US, UK, and Canada with four core pillars:
Live play-by-play coverage of every Major League Baseball game and every Barclays Premier League and Bundesliga match. For sports fans, this meant every game, every team, every broadcast — home and away feeds included.
Unlimited access to more than 40,000 audiobook titles from publishers including Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Scholastic.
Over 600 music stations listened to commercial-free — a direct answer to satellite radio.
Sixteen language learning programs, rounding out a catalog that stretched well beyond anything audio had bundled before.
The Bigger Picture
TuneIn Premium was positioned as a challenger to satellite radio — a modern, on-demand alternative that lived in your pocket and worked across every device. The NFL partnership followed just weeks later in October 2015, adding the #1 domestic sports league to the Premium offering and cementing TuneIn's position as the home for live audio sports.
In Their Own Words
Press"With the introduction of TuneIn Premium we are taking the world's best audio content and putting it all in one place."
John Donham, CEO — TuneIn
"TuneIn launches ad-free Premium service with audiobooks, live sports & language courses."
AppleInsider, August 2015
"TuneIn Premium streams live sports, music and audiobooks for $8 a month."
Engadget, August 2015
TuneIn · Senior Director of Product · TuneIn Premium · 2015"TuneIn introduces paid tier with MLB matches, audio books to take on satellite radio."
Variety, August 2015