LOS ANGELES (AP) – TuneIn, the app that gives users free access to thousands of live radio stations around the world, is launching an $8-a-month premium subscription service that throws in ad-free listening, audiobooks and live play-by-play coverage of Major League Baseball and soccer from the Premier League and the Bundesliga.
The seemingly disparate offer caters to listeners who have varied tastes, says TuneIn CEO John Donham. That could be news in the morning, music at night, live sports whenever a good game is on, and a good book for long commutes.
“It turns out people want more than just one thing,” he says.
The package is meant to emulate the kind of mix one gets from satellite radio giant Sirius XM: premium sports, talk shows and commercial-free music. “We’re out to build a worldwide version of that,” Donham says.
The offer launches in the U.S. on Tuesday, as well as in Canada, where it’ll cost 9 Canadian dollars a month, and in the U.K., where it’ll be 6 pounds a month.