Apple Blocks Bloom.fm iAd Advertising Ahead of U.K. iTunes Radio Launch

London-based streaming-music service Bloom.fm says it has been blocked from advertising on Apple's iAd network because it is a threat to the Cupertino company's iTunes radio, reports CNET. Similar to iTunes Radio, Bloom.fm offers genre and artist-based streaming radio stations with a library of over 22 million tracks.

"We were surprised at Apple's decision to ban us from their iAd network as their iTunes Radio service isn't even available in the UK," the spokesman told CNET. "Bloom.fm gives you 22 million tracks for £1 a month -- the price of a single download on iTunes -- so I can see why they'd want to protect their business."

Apple may be blocking Bloom.fm as it prepares to launch its iTunes Radio service in the U.K. The service debuted in the U.S. alongside the release of iOS 7 last fall and was recently extended to Australia. It is expected to debut in the U.K. sometime in early 2014.

itunes radio
Over the past several months, some iPhone owners in the U.K. have reported intermittent connections to the iTunes Radio service, suggesting Apple is in the final stages of preparing the product for an imminent launch. Bringing iTunes Radio to countries worldwide is a top priority for Apple, says senior vice president of Internet software and services Eddy Cue, who confirmed the company plans to offer the service "in more than 100 countries."

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Colors

Apple Announces iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max With New Design, Larger Battery, and More

Tuesday September 9, 2025 10:59 am PDT by
Apple today introduced the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Both devices feature a new aluminum unibody design, with the Ceramic Shield now protecting both the front and back sides. Apple says the front side is now Ceramic Shield 2, which offers 3x better scratch resistance, while the rear Ceramic Shield is advertised as 4x more resistant to cracks compared to the back glass on previous...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Models Are eSIM-Only in These Countries

Tuesday September 9, 2025 12:23 pm PDT by
Apple continues to phase out the physical SIM card tray on iPhones, with the latest models relying solely on eSIM technology in more countries. The new iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max support eSIMs only in these countries and regions, according to Apple: Bahrain Canada Guam Japan Kuwait Mexico Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates Un...
airpods translate

AirPods Live Translation Blocked for EU Users With EU Apple Accounts

Thursday September 11, 2025 4:01 am PDT by
Apple's new Live Translation feature for AirPods will be off-limits to millions of European users when it arrives next week, with strict EU regulations likely holding back its rollout. Apple says on its feature availability webpage that "Apple Intelligence: Live Translation with AirPods" won't be available if both the user is physically in the EU and their Apple Account region is in the EU....
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro: Release Date and Pre-Orders

Wednesday September 10, 2025 12:30 am PDT by
Apple held its annual iPhone event on Tuesday, September 9, to unveil the iPhone 17, ultra-thin iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. All of the new iPhone models will be available to pre-order starting Friday, September 12 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time / 8 a.m. Eastern Time in the U.S. and dozens of other countries, according to Apple. The release date for the devices is one week...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

Skipping the iPhone 17 Pro? Here's What's Rumored for iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday September 10, 2025 8:33 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still a year away, there are already a few rumors about the devices that offer an early look ahead. If you are skipping the iPhone 17 Pro and want to know about what to expect from the iPhone 18 Pro models, we have recapped a few of the key rumors below. Under-Screen Face ID In April 2023, display industry analyst Ross Young shared a...
better iphone 17 lineup

Apple Lists iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and iPhone 17 Pro Battery Capacities

Tuesday September 9, 2025 1:25 pm PDT by
Apple has confirmed the battery capacities for the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max models that were announced earlier today. Apple is required to publish energy labels on its iPhone product pages in the EU, and they reveal the official mAh battery capacities for the devices. Here are the battery capacities for each model, according to Apple: iPhone 17:...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air A19 Pro Feature

iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air Benchmarks Reveal Speed of A19 Pro Chip

Wednesday September 10, 2025 7:33 am PDT by
The first benchmark results for the A19 Pro chip in the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air surfaced in the Geekbench 6 database today. Based on these early results — which are unconfirmed — the A19 Pro chip across the Pro models and the iPhone Air appears to deliver up to 13% to 15% faster multi-core CPU performance compared to the A18 Pro chip in the iPhone 16 Pro...

Top Rated Comments

Laird Knox Avatar
149 months ago
Is it even LEGAL for Apple to do such a thing?

When is the last time you saw an ABC ad on NBC? Or heard one radio station advertise on another? Not really anything new.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
furi0usbee Avatar
149 months ago
£1 a month? Talk about race to the bottom. I only own my music, so even free isn't enticing to me.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
samcraig Avatar
149 months ago
It's their ad network - they can do what they want ultimately until legally required to change.

That being said - it should be clear that Apple does not like competition.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xizdun Avatar
149 months ago
Is it even LEGAL for Apple to do such a thing?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BC2009 Avatar
149 months ago
Is it even LEGAL for Apple to do such a thing?

You ever see an advertisement for an ABC TV show while watching a CBS TV show? Me neither.

Yes it is legal.

----------

If it's legal, then why isn't Google banning Apple/iPhone queries from his Search Engine? :>

Because Google's mobile ad revenue would be cut by 80%. Google actually pays Apple to make Google the default search engine on iOS. However, Siri is separate and Apple has chosen to keep Siri's use of search engine a closed choice. It currently uses Bing (like Microsoft's new Cortana).
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacHiavelli Avatar
149 months ago
It is expected to debut in the U.K. sometime in early 2014.

Early 2014 has long gone....
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)