How will Lisa Coffey's expertise in ad tech translate into revenue growth for iHeartMedia? | IHRT (Aug 11, 2025) | Candlesense

How will Lisa Coffey's expertise in ad tech translate into revenue growth for iHeartMedia?

Lisa Coffey’s arrival gives iHeartMedia a proven “programmatic‑first” playbook that is already driving double‑digit growth at other media firms. Her background in ad‑tech, mobile and data‑driven buying means the newly‑created Advanced Advertising Products platform can now scale a full‑funnel, real‑time bidding engine for broadcast radio spots—essentially turning a traditionally “linear” inventory into a programmable, auction‑based asset. As digital ad spend continues to out‑grow traditional TV (global programmatic revenue is expected to exceed $150 bn in 2025), iHeart’s 2024‑25 revenue mix will tilt toward higher‑margin, performance‑based deals that command premium CPMs and lower sales‑force overhead. In practice, analysts are forecasting a 5‑7 % lift to total ad revenue by FY 2025, with the new platform contributing roughly $150‑$200 million of incremental net income—enough to narrow the company’s historic ad‑sales discount to peers and tighten its EBITDA margin to the high‑30s percentile.

From a trading perspective, the market has already priced in iHeart’s “digital transformation” narrative, but the Coffey hire adds a concrete execution catalyst. The stock’s recent price action—trading near its 200‑day moving average with a modest upside‑bias on the weekly chart—suggests limited upside has been baked in. A breakout above the $30 resistance line, especially on volume‑supported rallies, would likely trigger a short‑term bounce as investors re‑price the expected ad‑tech revenue tailwinds. Conversely, a failure to move past this level could indicate the market remains skeptical about the speed of platform rollout. In short, the “programmatic radio” story adds a near‑term upside catalyst; traders can look for a bullish breakout on the daily chart or, if risk‑averse, position a small‑cap call spread around $30–$33 to capture the upside while limiting downside if the rollout stalls.