Key Insights from CES for Marketers to Action:

• Lead with trust. Put real hosts and creators at the center of the brief.
• Lean into live. Pair live radio and creator moments with your calendar to create experiences that become conversation.
• Make it measurable. Add addressable broadcast to the performance mix and track exposure, lift, and sales.
• Extend into daily moments. Design creative for the car, the living room, and workouts so it feels natural and useful.
• Use AI as a tool, keep humans in the lead. Automate the pipes but never the personality.

AI was undeniably the backdrop at CES 2026, but the biggest conversation for marketers on the ground was a counter-concept; human connection. iHeartMedia came to Las Vegas with a clear premise, that real creators, real communities and live connection win. Despite living in an ever-growing AI world, content by humans and for humans builds trust, attention, and business outcomes. For iHeartMedia, Guaranteed Human is more than a brand position. It is a practical strategy that’s table stakes for marketers as they begin trading in trust.

With 9 out of 10 Americans tuning in, audio is relevant and essential. Brands that use it strategically are building stronger connections and driving results.

0:35

Guaranteed Human is a strategic imperative

People use AI tools, but they prefer media made by humans and they act on trusted voices.

• 70% use AI, yet 90% want content created by humans.
• 95% say it feels good to know someone cares about them.
• About two thirds recognize algorithms shape their views and look for human perspective to balance the feed.
• 80% consider our hosts friends.
• 78% trust product recommendations from their favorite radio hosts.

At CES, we grounded this stance in evidence and translated the psychology of trust into planning guidance that brands can use now. When your message is carried by a real voice, it lands differently and it lasts longer.

Live connection moves culture and commerce

Our hosts turn daily rituals into shared experiences that scale from local to national. During CES, moments with on-air and podcast personalities showed how live media and the intimacy of audio builds belief and lifts every other touchpoint.

0:35

Modernization makes audio addressable and accountable

With the introduction of AudioGraph, iHeart is leading the industry in unifying broadcast, streaming, and podcasts into one privacy safe, identity led platform for planning and measurement. Marketers should not have to choose between authenticity and precision. AudioGraph connects an identity spine, enriched audience attributes, and predictive listening models so broadcast can be planned alongside digital and verified with exposure, lift, and sales attribution. AudioGraph is progressing through closed beta and with broad availability coming later in 2026. The result is quality scale in a Guaranteed Human environment paired with the targeting and accountability your plan requires.

0:35

Extend into daily moments without losing the human core

Trust grows when brands show up naturally in daily life. iHeart meets people in the car, at home, and on the go, which keeps messages helpful and ensures creative can match the moment. Use creator voices for the human center, then let modernization add precision and proof.

So what do we expect in 2026? Brand leaders will become stewards of their brand’s humanity, trading in trust with humans at the heart of their media.

0:35