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The Apple iTunes logo is seen on a tablet, Jan. 2, 2014, in Paris. Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images

Apple Inc said it will soon start charging for iTunes Radio, its music-streaming service that competes with Pandora Media Inc.

ITunes Radio, which was announced in 2013, will no longer be free from the end of January, Apple said in statement.

The ad-supported service, available only in the United States and Australia, will be folded into Apple Music, which costs $9.99 a month.

Beats 1, the global 24/7 radio station, will now be the free music option for listeners.

(Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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