• This new collaboration brings the ARD Audiothek app into the HARMAN Ignite Store, a leading connected vehicle platform that enables automakers to develop, manage, and operate their own in-vehicle app store.
  • ARD Audiothek is the joint audio platform of all the public broadcasters belonging to the ARD. It also includes content from Deutschlandradio and the content network funk.
  • 100,000 posts and podcasts, clearly curated in 20 sections, are available in the app for mobile access, ad-free.

Stamford, Conn. – July 11, 2022 – HARMAN International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. focused on connected technologies and solutions for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, announced today that the ARD Audiothek app will be available in the HARMAN Ignite Store, a leading connected vehicle platform that enables automakers to develop, manage, and operate their own in-vehicle app store. Starting in Germany, the collaboration between HARMAN and ARD will enable automotive manufacturers to offer the ARD Audiothek app easily and securely in their vehicles moving forward, offering millions of drivers the opportunity to experience ARD audio content in their cars.

ARD Audiothek: more music and more news for audio fans.
Fans and discoverers of audio offerings can look forward to the extensive content ARD Audiothek offers, including podcasts, audio books, documentaries, reports, and the live radio streams of the public broadcasters. Background information on recent topics from politics, science and society, as well as live and exclusive ARD content are available. Users of the app will be able to easily access their favorite podcasts through their personal playlists when entering the car.

The HARMAN Ignite Store brings users their favorite content in-vehicle, making the vehicle a seamless extension of consumers' digital lifestyle. It optimizes the driving experience by providing access to a rich ecosystem of cloud-based applications and services. This means that automotive manufacturers, dealers and service providers can easily import and manage new cloud applications and services into a vehicle's infotainment system and thus serve the comfort, information and entertainment needs of customers all over the world. HARMAN Ignite Store includes an ever-growing range of media content, point-of-interest solutions, and messaging applications.

Albert Jordan, VP of HARMAN Ignite Store at HARMAN International, comments:
“Since the launch of HARMAN Ignite Store, our goal has been to provide automotive manufacturers, drivers and passengers with the richest possible range of content and to continually expand it. It is becoming increasingly important to provide comprehensive entertainment and information options in the car. We are therefore pleased to be able to enrich our platform in collaboration with ARD, who supplements our offering with high-quality audio content and is well-known in Germany."

Alexander Sasse, Head of ARD Partner Management Audio and Voice, adds:
“The goal of ARD Audiothek is to be available on all major platforms where people want to listen to ARD's radio programs and audio-on-demand content. In-car media use is of great importance to ARD – we want to continue to help shape in-vehicle entertainment and offer people real added value with our content while driving. Through collaborations, we ensure we achieve this goal and are therefore very pleased with the successful cooperation with HARMAN.”

You can find more information about the HARMAN Ignite Store here, and about the ARD Audiothek here.

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About HARMAN
HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet of Things. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 50 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. Our software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

About ARD
ARD is the consortium of public broadcasters in the Federal Republic of Germany. The federal media association has been in existence since 1950, providing people with free and independent television, radio and online offerings in the areas of information, education, culture and entertainment. In Germany, more than 35 million people use an ARD audio service every day. The audio-on-demand offerings, which include a large number of renowned podcasts and radio plays, are also firmly established. ARD Audiothek is the only place where this audio offering is bundled in one place. The collaborative audio platform ARD Audiothek is available as an app, as a skill for voice assistants, and as a web version ardaudiothek.de. The app has already been downloaded 2.5 million times.

For more information contact:

HARMAN
Dawn Geary
Director, Global Communications -- Automotive
Dawn.geary@harman.com  

Archetype
Kai Sewald
Consultant PR & Social Media
munichharman@archetype.co
+49 (0) 176 19 83 70 36