Tag: SiriusXM

The Stitcher App Closes – The Internal Memo

~ Jen Thorpe

PodNews posted an internal memo announcing the closure of the Stitcher app. From the memo:

Subject: An Update from Joe Inzerillo, John Trimble, and Scott Greenstein

All, 

As we continue to evolve our business and our brands, we’ve made the decision to sunset the Stitcher app at the end of August. Podcasts are an important part of both our subscription and advertising strategies. The scale and reach of our widely-distributed podcasts has been and remains a crucial accelerant for our advertising sales business, while incorporating podcasts more holistically into our flagship SiriusXM subscription service will help to drive further growth. As a result, we have made our decision to sunset our standalone podcast listening app as we increase focus on these priorities.

One of the original destinations for podcasters and podcast fans, Stitcher’s business evolved with the industry as podcasting went from being a niche format to a billion-dollar juggernaut. With the Stitcher team now fully integrated into SiriusXM, we have united our strengths to create the SiriusXM Podcast Network, one of the largest podcast advertising networks in the country. We are also helping new and existing partners to do more within podcasts, taking what Midroll did exceptionally well and supercharging it with the combined power of SXM Media and AdsWizz. On the content side, through our reorganization earlier this year, which moved podcast programming alongside comedy and entertainment, we are able to give legendary podcasters a new platform on SiriusXM while also introducing the biggest stars on our roster to podcasting.

Today, an estimated 120 million people around the US listen to podcasts each month, and with more shows in the Edison top 50 than any other company – we believe our wide distribution model has helped make so many of the podcasts we produce and represent a success.

Our unique ecosystem gives us flexibility to experiment, and with the new SiriusXM streaming experience launching this fall, we are taking inspiration and learnings from the Stitcher app to drive improved podcast listening for our subscribers, with the goal of making SiriusXM a competitive and credible listening platform for talk and podcast content across the Company.

With legacy Stitcher team members embedded within every aspect of our business, from programming and marketing to sales and technology, we are thrilled to continue to bring podcasting into everything that we do.

If anyone has any questions or wants to chat further, just reach out.

Thank you,

Joe, John, and Scott

Stitcher wrote the following on their Twitter account:

“The Stitcher app and website will discontinue on August 29, 2023. For information on how to export your show list and other questions, please visit: stitcher app.com/3JyBltJ“

“If you are a Creator and have questions about your show distribution, please visit our FAQ here: stitcher app.com/3CQXXHk

After August 29, 2023, this account will transition to “Stitcher Studios” and provide updates about the podcasts within our network.”

“Thank you for giving us the opportunity over the last decade to create the best possible listening experience.”

Oprah Winfrey Network – OWN – Signs Renewal Agreement To Keep Its Podcasts On SiriusXM

~ Jen Thorpe

SiriusXM announced a multi-year extension which keeps OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network’s slate of podcasts, including its flagship Oprah’s Super Soul – with the leader in audio.

Under a new agreement between SiriusXM subsidiary Stitcher Media LLC and OWN LLC, SXM Media, the advertising sales group of Sirius XM Holdings Inc., will maintain exclusive global audio and video ad sales rights to OWN’s suite of podcasts. Stitcher will also retain exclusive rights to distribute these shows across all podcast platforms via the SiriusXM Podcast Network.

The agreement also provides resources to develop new podcasts and content by OWN.

This renewal continues a relationship that began in 2017 with the launch Oprah’s Super Soul podcast, and has since expanded to a network of several inspiring shows that altogether have a combined reach of nearly 100 million downloads each year. They include: Eckhart Tolle: Essential Teachings, Oprah’s Master Class, The Oprah Winfrey Show: The Podcast, Trials to Triumph and Iyanla: Fix My Life.

“We are excited to continue provide listeners with intentional, thought-provoking and fascinating podcast programming through out collaboration with SiriusXM,” said Tara Montgomery, Creative EVP, Programming, Production and Development at OWN. “Our hope is that listeners see themselves reflected in the content shared and stories told and that they have an opportunity to learn, grow and leave feeling encouraged and inspired.”

“The team at OWN have a deep understanding of their audience, which enables them to create the kind of programming that keeps their listeners engaged,” says Daniel Osit, Vice President of Content Partnerships & Podcast Strategy at SiriusXM. “We’re honored that OWN continues to trust in SiriusXM’s ability to help them reach new audiences, and we look forward to the development of new content by OWN.”

New episodes of OWN’s podcast will continue to be available on the Stitcher and SXMapps, as well as all major podcast listening platforms.

SiriusXM And Comscore Are Bringing Predictive Audience Targeting To Podcasts

~ Jen Thorpe

SiriusXM and Comscore announced an expanded Agreement, bringing Comscore Predictive Audiences to clients across both AdsWizz and SXM Media. Building upon Comscore’s audience targeting to publishers and marketers across AdsWizz’s podcast ecosystem, with SXM Media to come later in 2022.

Predictive Audiences is the industry’s first cookie-free targeting capability that enables advertisers to reach audiences developed from an initial set of privacy-compliant consumer data attributes tied to cross-platform content consumption patterns. These audiences are expanded when transcription technology matches attributes to granular context for better contextual targeting and advertising reach. Leveraging Comscore’s global opt-in panels publishers and marketers will now have access to hundreds of audiences available for podcasts. Now, advertisers can target their audio advertisements to consumer audiences baed on their TV and streaming consumption, gaming habits, life stage, CPG purchase behaviors, and more, across AdsWizz’s podcast ecosystem, with SXM Media to come later in 2022.

“WIth podcast consumption skyrocketing and the regulatory environment still very fluid, it’s critical to give advertisers the ability to develop privacy-forward and future-proof audience targeting on podcasts,” said Rachel Gantz, General Manager, Activation Services, Comscore. “Our expanded agreement with AdsWizz and SXM Media means that advertisers now have even better tools to ensure their advertising is appearing in podcast content aligning with their campaign KPIs, while also giving podcast content producers a more sophisticated offering to help better monetize their content.”

“Across the SiriusXM ad platform and technology group, we are committed to embracing the future of audio with technology that puts consumers first, offering privacy-conscious solutions to give our listeners the best experience and our marketers and publishers the best results,” said Maria Breza, Vice President of Data Operations & Ad Quality Measurement at SXM Media and AdsWizz. “From AudioID to our newly-expanded relationship with Comscore, we’re taking the audio marketplace and supercharging it with the technology and insights needed for advertisers to effectively reach their target audiences in podcasts at scale.”

“As longtime collaborators with AdsWizz, we are thrilled to have the Comscore Predictive Audiences added to our stable of capabilities. Innovative tools and technology scubas this are what allow us to offer brands ways to run campaigns and support NPR’s essential journalism that give them more control over where their message will appear,” said Brett Robinson, Senior Vice President of Ad Operations at National Public Media.

Marvel Entertainment and SiriusXM Premiered Marvel’s Wasteland: Wolverine

~ Jen Thorpe

It’s time to return to the Wastelands! Marvel Entertainment and SiriusXM announced their newest original scripted podcast, Marvel’s Wastelanders: Wolverine premiered on Monday, June 13.

Marvel’s Wastelanders: Wolverine is the fourth installment in the “Marvel’s Wastelanders” audio epic, following the success of Marvel’s Wastelanders: Star-Lord, Marvel’s Wastlanders: Hawkeye, and Marvel’s Wastelanders: Black Widow. The all-new 10-episode series is written and directed by Peabody Award winner Jenny Turner Hall, with sound design by Michael Odmark and Daniel Brunell, and original music Rhett Miller and John Burdick.

The series stars Robert Patrick as Wolverine, and features performances by Ashlie Atkinson (Kitty Pryde), Rachel Crowl (Red Skull), Isabella Ferreria (Sofia), Jennifer Ikeda (Rachel Summers), Justin Min (Justin), Clarke Peters (Professor X), Daniel Sunjata (Cyclops), and Carl Tart (Kevin).

Thirty years ago, Super Villains did the unthinkable, they won. After killing the Avengers, the X-men, and nearly every other Super Hero, Red Skull assumed the office of the President of the United States. Since that day, a traumatized Wolverine (Robert Patrick) has wandered in a daze of survivor’s guilt and self-loathing over his failure to protect his fellow X-men and their mutant students.

Wolvering encounters Sofia, a young mutant in-hiding and vows to transport her into the safe hands of estranged former X-Men Kitty Pryde and Rachel Summers. When the Red Skull and his top lieutenant Crossbones frame Wolverine and escalate anti-mutant sentiment to dangerous new levels, our hero realizes that his only option may be to face Red Skull and his savage allies head on. But a shocking, terrible truth may destroy Wolverine first…

On the series, writer and director Jenny Hall says, “Fans are going to lose it over Robert Patrick as Old Man Logan! You cannot stop listening to his gritty timbre – he is Wolverine – and Logan’s story here will shock you to your core!” She continued, “From a directing standpoint, this series is epic – a lot of characters, settings, and action. I can’t wait for fans to listen to this series. I hope it’ll blow your mind, break your heart, and give you something to believe in.”

The series will initially be available exclusively on the SXM App and Marvel Podcasts Unlimited on Apple Podcasts. Episodes will be more widely available one week later, on Pandora, Stitcher, and all major podcast platforms in the U.S. Learn more at marvel.com/wastelanders

SiriusXM Acquires Team Coco and Conan O’Brian Needs A Friend Podcast

~ Jen Thorpe

SiriusXM announced the acquisition of Team Coco, including the critically-acclaimed hit podcast Conan O’Brian Needs a Friend, and the Conan O’Brian-led podcast network and digital media business. The transaction also brings to SiriusXM Team Coco’s staff, who will continue to produce the network’s slate of popular podcasts, as well as collaborate on content for Sirius XM.

As part of the deal, Conan has entered into a five-year talent agreement with SiriusXM, under which he will remain host of his namesake podcast, which will continue to be available widely, and will also collaborate with SiriusXM to create and executive produce a new full-time, original Team Coco comedy channel for SiriusXM subscribers. The agreement also includes distribution of select video from Conan’s podcast as well as from the archives of his long-running late night show on TBS, live events, and merchandise from the Team Coco brands.

Since its inception over a decade ago, Team Coco has garnered more than 1 billion annual video views across YouTube and Facebook, averages 180 million annual podcast downloads, and now reaches 17 million fans across social media. Team Coco’s flagship podcast, Conan O’Brian Needs a Friend, which was developed with Stitcher’s Earwolf, ranks as one of the top five most searched-for podcasts, and recently won two Webby Awards. By becoming a part of SiriusXM, the leading home of comedy in audio entertainment, Team Coco gains the promotional power of the SiriusXM, Pandora, and Stitcher listening platforms – amplifying the network’s voices and extending the Team Coco brand to new audiences.

“When I started in television my ultimate goal was to work my way up to radio,” said Conan O’Brian. “This new deal with SiriusXM builds on the great relationship that began several years ago with a team that is the standout in their field.’

“We are thrilled that Conan remains committed to producing his incredibly successful podcast and will now expand his role into executive producing an excusing Team Coco radio channel for SiriusXM,” said Scott Greenstein, President and Chef Content Officer of SiriusXM. “Conan has built an amazing brand and organization at Team Coco with a proven track record of finding and launching compelling and addictive podcasts. We look forward to continuing to grow the Team Coco brand.”

As part of the acquisition, SXM Media, the combined advertising sales organization of SiriusXM, expands its exclusive global ad representation beyond Team Coco’s acclaimed podcasts – such as Nicole Byer’s Why Won’t You Date Me? and JB Smoove’s May I Elaborate?, along with its Stitcher co-productions Scam Goddess with Laci Mosley, Literally! with Rob Lowe, The Three Questions with Andy Richter, and Parks and Recollection – to also include digital video, social media, and live events associated with Team Coco’s properties.

Team Coco podcasts will continue to be available on Stitcher, the SXM App, Pandora, and major podcast listening platforms.

Team Coco joins an already robust and industry-leading comedy lineup at SiriusXM, the exclusive audio home for top comedies and brands, which includes channels such as Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Radio, Netflix is a Joke Radio, and Comedy Central Radio, as well as Stitcher’s Earwolf network and their collection of award-winning and critically-acclaimed shows How Did This Get Made?, Office Ladies, Storytime with Seth Rogen, and more.

SiriusXM’s acquisition of Team Coco follows that of 99% Invisible, the announcement of a global advertising agreement with podcast company Audiochuck, and it’s top-rated podcast, Crime Junkie; an agreement with Tom Segura and Christine P’s YMH Studios to distribute and develop content; an agreement for the exclusive rights to manage all audio and video ad sales for the comedy horror show The Last Podcast on the Left; and a multi-platform agreement with Crooked Media that brings the independent progressive media company’s top ranked podcasts to Sirius XM through the 2024 election cycle and beyond.

I Am Athlete Inks Content Deal with SiriusXM

~ Jen Thorpe

SiriusXM and I Am Athlete, the athlete-led media network founded by former NFL All-Pro receiver Brandon Marshall, announced they have joined forces in a new expansive content deal that includes a nightly radio show and other game-changing projects.

The new agreement will expand the already popular I Am Athlete platform by delivering new innovative programming to more fans who want an authentic “locker room” perspective on sports and pop culture directly from those who played the game.

I Am Athlete and SiriusXM will produce a new nightly show that will air nationwide on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio (channel 82 on SiriusXM radios and on the SXM App). Debuting on April 27, I Am Athlete Tonight will air live every weekday from 7-9 pm ET/4-6 pm PT.

Former NFL defensive end Leger Douzable will lead a cast of rotating co-hosts that will feature Marshall, former NFL players LeSean McCoy, Brandon Flowers and Adam “Pacman” Jones, former NBA player Antoine Walker, former WNBA player Chantel Tremitiere and journalist Omar Kelly as they engage in the type of thoughtful, unfiltered discussions that the I AM Athlete Tonight episodes will also be available as podcasts after they air on SiriusXM.

SiriusXM and I Am Athlete have also entered into a developmental agreement and will combine the strength of both brands and platforms to bring additional engaging talent to the air and develop new and unique content in the future.

As part of the agreement, SXM Media, SiriusXM Holdings’ advertising sales group, is now the exclusive global ad representative for the popular I Am Athlete audio podcast – hosted by Brandon Marshall and Chad “Ochocinco”Johnson – and other audio podcasts developed with I AM Athlete. SXM Media also sells across the I AM Athlete video podcast. SXM Media is the gateway for marketer to the #1 U.S. podcast advertising network in reaching weekly podcast listeners, per Edison Research.

The I Am Athlete Podcast is available on all major podcast platforms.

“We are excited to team up with SiriusXM. SiriusXM is an extraordinary company that shares our passion for innovation in storytelling and giving the athlete a platform,” said Marshall. “I Am Athlete is the premier destination for athletes to tell their own stories, write their own scripts, highlight successes and also hold each other accountable. The sports media landscape has drastically changed. Our partnership brings our unique content and approach to storytelling to fans, every day.”

“I Am Athlete has established itself as a prominent and popular podcast because it is the kind of authentic straight-from-the-athlete talk that fans love and want more of. We’re excited to team up and build on that,” said Steve Cohen, SVP, Sports Programming and Podcasts, SiriusXM. “Brandon and team will produce new and exclusive content that will enhance our Mad Dog Sports Radio channel. And together, we look forward to developing new talent and content for I Am Athlete and SirusXM that will appeal to listeners everywhere.”

SiriusXM Launches New Freakonomics Radio Network Streaming Channel

~ Jen Thorpe

SiriusXM announced the launch of a new Freakonomics Radio Network streaming channel. For this channel, the first to be dedicated to a podcast, the team behind Freakonomics Radio, one of the most enduring and popular podcasts in the world, will curate and present episodes from its deep archive, along with selections from other popular shows on the Freakonomics Radio Network, including No Stupid Questions, People I (Mostly) Admire, Freakonomics, M.D., and new programs to be launched later this year.

The Freakonomics Radio Network streaming channel is available to subscribers now on the SXM App.

For over a decade, Freakonomics Radio has delivered storytelling and reporting that is both rigorous and entertaining. Hosted by Stephen J. Dubner, the show takes a curious-minded, data-driven approach to exploring real-world behavior and uncovering “the hidden side of everything.” Entering its twelfth year as one of the biggest podcasts on the planet, Freakonomics Radio is now growing faster than it ever has before, setting a listenership record in 2021.

SiriusXM’s Freakonomics Radio Network channel is the only place where listeners can tune in 24/7 to hear not only the latest episodes of Freakonomics Radio, but also a selection of provocative classics from the show’s 500-episode archive like, “Abortion and Crime, Revisited”, “The Economics of Sleep”, and “The Stupidest Thing You Can Do With Your Money.”

“The SiriusXM audience is amazingly large and diverse,” said Stephen Dubner, “and we can’t wait to get our stuff in their ears.”

“It’s exciting to be able to take a show as groundbreaking and successful as Freakonomics Radio and give listeners, new and old, an entirely unique way to experience it,” said Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s President and Chief Content Officer. “We can’t think of a better partner to launch this first-of-its-kind streaming channel with than Stephen and his team.”

In addition to its flagship show, the Freakonomics Radio Network produces some of the most listened-to podcasts – for a combined reach of over 160 million listeners last year. They include No Stupid Questions, where Dubner and co-host psychologist Angela Duckworth explore the weird and wonderful ways in which humans behave; People I (Mostly) Admire, in which the unorthodox economist Stephen Levitt speaks with other high achievers to ask questions that only he would think to ask; and Freakonomics, M.D., hosted by Bapu Jena, an economist and physician who explores the intersection of economics and healthcare.

The Freakonomics Radio Network channel is just the latest example of SiriusXM’s commitment to providing multiple platforms for audio creators. Recently, the hosts of the award-winning horror comedy podcast Last Podcast on the Left launched Open Lines, a live weekly call-in show on SiriusXM’s Faction Talk (channel 103) after bringing their podcast back to wide distribution through Stitcher; and the popular advice expert, host, and digital creator Tinx launched the It’s Me, Tinx Live radio show on SiriusXM Stars (channel 109) following her chart-topping Stitcher podcast, It’s Me, Tinx.

Streaming access is included with all of SiriusXM’s trials and most popular plans. Subscribers can listen with the SXW app and with Amazon Alexa, the Google Assistant or however they stream at home. Go to www.siriusxm.com/ways-to-listen to learn more.

SiriusXM’s SXM Media Introduces AudioID

~ Jen Thorpe

SiriusXM’s SXM Media announced the introduction of AudioID powered by AdsWizz, a first-to-market listener identity solution offering marketers new avenues to reach, target, and connect with consumers at scale. AudioID puts content and audiences first, providing an improved consumer experience across multiple platforms and a better way for brands to buy audio advertising.

AudioID is the most recent example of SiriusXM’s investment in audio ad technology and solutions to make advertising across satellite radio, streaming music, and podcasts as simple as pressing play or turning the dial. From in-car to at-home to mobile, SXM Media is committed to making premium audio advertising intelligent, accessible, and impactful for listeners and marketers.

As traditional digital identifiers erode in the market and audio content such as podcasts increase share of ear, AudioID is the future of listener identity. With an algorithm that accepts and matches a variety of consented listener signals and inputs then weighs them accordingly, this new identity solution responds to ad requests by finding or creating unique, anonymized AudioIDs. These IDs can then be tapped into for everything from reach and forecasting to frequency capping, advanced first-party targeting, enhanced measurement, and more.

AudioID’s U.S.-based identity launch offering will live within the walls of SXM Media. The product will leverage datasets across the tens of millions of known Pandora, SirusXM, and Stitcher listeners, matching them to create AudioIDs. This will allow for a better ad experience for consumers, marketers and publishers, tapping into listener behavior and preferences in a way that supports the future of identity safety while helping marketers achieve their goals.

Beginning later in 2022, AudioID will extend SXM Media’s first-party audience targeting to opted-in off-platform parties across AdsWizz, giving marketers and publishers in the U.S. access to better, smarter data guidelines, long-term, AdsWizz’s platform has the potential to expand AudioID globally; strengthen any behaviors; and define a new identity framework for the audio ecosystem at large, one that centers around consumption, content, and preference data versus personal consumer signals.

“We are entering a new era of identity – both in culture and technology – that defines us not by who we are on paper or the cookies we leave behind, but by our interests and passions. AudioID is a consumer-first, privacy-conscious infrastructure that will deliver our audiences the best experiences and give marketers access to data-driven capabilities like never before,” said Chris Record, Senior Vice President and Head of Ad Product, Technology & Operations at SXM Media & AdsWizz.

AudioID is based on several fundamental founding principles:

Innovative & Additive: AudioID will always remain an innovator in audio identity and additive to the overall audio advertising ecosystem.

Flexible & Iterative: To support marketers and publishers, AudioID will be flexible in its acceptance of inputs from data providers, publishers, alternative identifiers, and other third parties. In addition, AudioID is expected tone an ever-evolving, iterative technology that will continue to develop with the needs of the media and marketing ecosystem.

Private & Optional: Privacy protection is embedded into AudioID by design as an anonymized identity solution that enhances consumer privacy. Publishers and marketers will maintain control of their data resources, with AudioID always remaining an optional (versus required) solution for external parties.

Intelligent & Science-Driven: Developing AudioID is a team of technologists and data scientists from around the world committed to using the latest tech and knowledge and applying it to the product.

NAD Files Lawsuit Against SiriusXM, Stitcher, and Pandora for Lack of Transcripts

~ Jen Thorpe

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) posted a release titled: “Lawsuit Challenges Inaccessibility of Major Podcast Platforms.” From the release:

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) have filed a lawsuit against three major providers of podcasts, SiriusXM, Stitcher, and Pandora, to end their exclusion of deaf and hard of hearing Americans from each company’s extensive podcast streaming service.

Sirius XM bills itself as the “new destination for original, exclusive, and popular podcasts,” providing customers access to a slate of both original and third-party podcast content, including exclusive access to podcasts produced by Marvel Entertainment.

Stitcher ranked #1 in Triton Digital’s Report of top Podcast Networks for August 2021, with 451 active original podcast. Likewise, Pandora’s podcast service offers users access to hundreds of thousands of podcast episodes. Yet none of these multimillion-dollar companies provides transcripts for the plethora of podcasts available on their popular mobile applications.

Because Defendants do not make transcripts or captions available for any of the podcasts offered on their platforms, more than 48 million deaf and hard of hearing Americans are denied full and equal enjoyment of the content they offer hearing users. These failures to provide equal access violate the Americans with Disabilities Act as well as state and local New York law.

The NAD and five deaf Americans who wish to use each of Defendants’ podcast services but are excluded from doing so brought this action to end SiriusXM’s, Stitchers, and Pandora’s discriminatory business practices.

Howard A. Rosenbaum, CEO of NAD, said, “Podcasts are the latest form of entertainment, and it is imperative that deaf and hard of hearing people not be left behind. SiriusXM, Stitcher, and Pandora have a duty under federal, state, and city laws to ensure their podcasts are fully accessible.”

Plaintiff Mei Nishimoto said, “I want all podcasts to be accessible for myself, because I love to learn, and as a Deaf parent with a school-aged child, I need to screen what is appropriate for her age and interests, and advance her education.”

Plaintiff Dr. Amber Martin said, “Access to information and entertainment is as interesting and important to deaf and hard of hearing people as it is to others. There have been many times when someone told me about something they heard on a podcast that sparked my interest but there was no transcript. It’s disappointing not to be able to participate in the conversations with friends, but especially frustrating to know that I’m locked out of a lot of information I’d like to have.”

Plaintiff Jamie Munro said, “Podcasts are now ubiquitous and serves as a wealth of information to everyone, except the deaf community. We cannot be excluded again and must have full access to knowledge that is already readily available to everyone else.”

Plaintiff Rebecca Alexander stated, “Requesting accommodations is not asking to be given information out of privilege. Having equal access to information, including from podcasts, is a fundamental civil right. I am also concerned about being precluded from a platform that has important commentary from people, myself included, because of inaccessibility.”

DRA staff attorney Emily Seelenfreund said, “SiriusXM, Stitcher and Pandora’s complete failure to consider access for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing is an embarrassment and an abject violation of federal and local disability law.