Butler/Till and iHeartMedia have completed what they call the ad industry’s first agentic streaming audio media buy, with an AI agent executing a real media transaction within human-set rules. Broadcast radio inventory access is planned for later this year.
The campaign ran on behalf of an unnamed US agricultural solutions company, with AI agents evaluating campaign objectives and executing approved media buying decisions within marketer-defined rules and human oversight, rather than following a fixed automated workflow.
Heart said the agentic model builds on AudioGraph, the identity-based targeting and measurement platform iHeart launched with Triton Digital in June.
The companies said the agentic buy delivered streaming audio 42% more efficiently than the advertiser’s traditional direct-buying benchmark. In podcasting, 48% of impressions landed in high-value, non-skippable mid-roll placements, compared with 33% in the traditional plan, while maintaining access to comparable premium inventory.
As reported by Radio Ink, Gartner projects AI-influenced self-serve platforms will handle more than 80% of US ad spend by 2028.
iHeart Chief Business Officer Lisa Coffey said, “We’re constantly exploring new opportunities for brands to connect with audiences at scale and pioneering new ways to modernize audio advertising, making it more accessible, efficient and effective.”
“Our collaboration with Butler/Till on this industry-first agentic campaign represents an important step forward in how advertisers access and activate premium audio inventory, demonstrating how AI can help create a more dynamic and efficient marketplace.”
Butler/Till Chief Strategy Officer Scott Ensign said, “Every major transformation in media begins with a first, and we’re proud to partner with iHeart on this industry milestone. Programmatic buying, private marketplaces, and connected TV each redefined how media was bought and sold. Agentic media is the next evolution.”
