Uber, the popular ride-sharing service that pairs those needing rides with willing drivers, recently announced a partnership with podcast-consumption app Otto Radio to provide customized podcast playlists for Uber passengers to listen to during their rides:
The next time you request a ride using the Uber app, a playlist of news stories and podcasts, perfectly timed for your trip’s duration, will be waiting for you in Otto Radio. Once your driver has arrived, you can sit back and enjoy your ‘personally curated listening experience and arrive at your destination up-to-date about the things you care about most,’ the companies said.
Otto Radio is an aggregation service that sources audio from thousands of online news outlets and podcasts. The service is designed to give users personalized playlists based on their interests. The Uber-Otto tie-in will rely on information in passengers’ Otto Radio accounts, creating properly-timed playlists for the duration of passengers’ Uber trips. (It’s unclear if passengers will need to listen to these curated streams on their own mobile devices or if the audio will be piped in thru the vehicle’s speakers.)
Podcast producers who’d like to have their shows included in this program can use Otto Radio’s claim form to ensure they’re listed in Otto’s directory.
Cool idea that builds upon what Lyft (and maybe Uber) has done with Spotify.
Curious if anybody has actually used Spotify (or similar) service while taking a ride-share… While I love the ability to do it, my rides are so short that it’s something I’ve never bothered with. The custom time based on the ride length is a nice feature though, so maybe worth a punt…