iHeartMedia has officially launched its auction-style programmatic marketplace, using Magnite’s SpringServe technology. The platform enables clients to make omni-channel media purchases across iHeart’s broadcast, streaming, and podcast assets through a data-driven, real-time bidding system. Despite industry concerns about ad rates and high inventory, iHeart aims to enhance programmatic access to its audio assets, reflecting the increasing consumer trend of spending a third of media time on audio. The move follows a similar omni-channel marketplace initiative by NBCUniversal. iHeartMedia emphasizes the improvement of campaign efficacy by allowing advertisers to engage their audience with real-time data in a trustworthy environment.