Latest news with #SiriusXMPlay
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SiriusXM Launches Lower Cost Ad-Supported Plan in Bid to Take on Streaming Audio Giants
The satellite radio company SiriusXM wants to take the streaming music platforms on more aggressively, launching a new and less expensive plan meant to provide a value offering to consumers. The new plan is called SiriusXM Play, the new plan will be ad-supported and cost under $7 per month, the company says. While SiriusXM's talk channels have had ads for some time, its core music channels have generally not included them. SiriusXM Play will have about half the ad load of traditional FM and AM radio stations, the company says. More from The Hollywood Reporter Billy Bush Claims He Flagged Donald Trump's Lewd 'Access Hollywood' Comments to His Producer in 2005 Ryan Reynolds Will Invade Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on ESPN With Costco's Former CFO Meta Facing European Showdown on "Pay-or-Consent" Ad Model The new offering is meant to not only make the company more competitive with the likes of Spotify and Apple Music, but also to grow its nascent advertising business, which has become a key strategic effort for the company. The new tier will be available both in-air and on streaming. Play is available on a limited basis now, with further rollouts and package pricing to come later in the year. At the moment, SiriusXM car and streaming plans start at $9.99 per month, going up to $25 per month for its most comprehensive offering. 'SiriusXM Play presents us with an incredible opportunity to thoughtfully scale our audio service on the road and off to even more listeners across North America,' said Wayne Thorsen, SiriusXM's COO. 'With Play, we can reach and engage with new, more price-sensitive listeners with a low-cost, ad-supported subscription with more than 130 channels available in-car and so much more in-app, and leverage our strengths across both content and technology as the premium audio leader in-car to deliver this compelling offering to consumers and advertisers alike.' 'Play is an exciting net-new opportunity for marketers looking to tap into passionate, high-quality audiences across some of SiriusXM's most beloved music, talk, and sports channels, reaching listeners in the moments that matter,' added Scott Walker, chief advertising revenue officer for SiriusXM. 'The car is the final frontier for digital ad-supported media. In the short term, we are opening up new inventory for marketers, including premium, curated music. In the long term, with more advanced capabilities, we have a chance to revolutionize the in-car advertising landscape.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
SiriusXM Introduces SiriusXM Play, a New Low-Cost, Ad-Supported Subscription Plan
Play is rolling out now and will be available to nearly 100 million vehicles by the end of 2025 The new, lower-cost plan brings subscribers over 130 music, sports, news and talk channels in-car with limited ad interruptions, plus access to the SiriusXM app NEW YORK, July 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- SiriusXM, the leading audio entertainment company in North America, today announced the launch of SiriusXM Play, the company's first low-cost, ad-supported subscription package. Welcoming new listeners to experience the company's flagship audio service at a low monthly price of less than $7, SiriusXM Play offers access to over 130 channels with limited ads in-car and even more to discover streaming in the app, delivering a compelling subset of its signature premium, curated music, talk, and sports programming at an exceptional value. For marketers, Play expands on SiriusXM's existing talk programming ad inventory to now include the previously untapped opportunity to reach consumers within its unparalleled music channels, giving advertisers a one-of-a-kind platform to meaningfully connect in the car and out with listeners across North America. "SiriusXM Play presents us with an incredible opportunity to thoughtfully scale our audio service on the road and off to even more listeners across North America," said Wayne Thorsen, SiriusXM's Chief Operating Officer. "With Play, we can reach and engage with new, more price-sensitive listeners with a low-cost, ad-supported subscription with more than 130 channels available in-car and so much more in-app, and leverage our strengths across both content and technology as the premium audio leader in-car to deliver this compelling offering to consumers and advertisers alike." Currently available on a limited basis, SiriusXM Play will continue to scale in the coming months, with package pricing and further details to be announced later in 2025. Bringing powerhouse programming across music, talk, and sports to a new cohort of listeners SiriusXM Play gives subscribers more than 130 music and talk channels in-car that longtime listeners have come to know and love, including homegrown music formats and fan-favorite channels across sports, talk and entertainment, news, and comedy. As it rolls out, Play is expected to include: Music: Hits 1, The Highway, Hip-Hop Nation + more Sports: Mad Dog Sports Radio, College Sports Radio, Fantasy Sports Radio + more News: POTUS, Patriot, Progress + more Talk + Entertainment: Radio Andy, Conan O'Brien Radio, TODAY Show Radio + more Comedy: Kevin Hart's LOL Radio, Comedy Central Radio, Jeff & Larry's Comedy Roundup + more SiriusXM Play subscribers with 360L vehicles may also have access to additional features in-car such as SiriusXM Xtra channels. In addition to its built-for-the-road, easy-to-use in-car experience, SiriusXM Play includes access to the SiriusXM app, the perfect complement to the in-car listening experience that allows fans to go deeper into their passions and get closer to their favorite music, artists, personalities, and sports. The SiriusXM app gives Play subscribers access to SiriusXM's complete catalog of live and on-demand content as well as Artist Stations and podcasts, outside of the vehicle and wherever subscribers would like to listen. Opening up new, premium inventory for advertisers in the final frontier for digital media: the car The launch of Play allows marketers to tap into SiriusXM's premium, curated music programming and unlock its highly passionate subscriber base in an intimate environment with few distractions: the car. Offering about half the ad load of traditional AM/FM radio at launch, SiriusXM Play gives marketers the ability to deliver powerful audio ads with fewer interruptions and reach an engaged, leaned-in consumer. Play is expected to enhance SiriusXM's extensive advertising portfolio, which reaches an impressive 160 million listeners each month across satellite broadcast (featuring SiriusXM's talk and sports programming in addition to the new ad-supported Play music channels), streaming (inclusive of Pandora, SoundCloud, and more), and the SiriusXM Podcast Network. By the end of 2025, advertisers will be able to seamlessly buy across all of these touchpoints with one unified transaction, tapping into powerful audiences at scale in audio. This further solidifies SiriusXM Media, the company's advertising group, as a leader in ad-supported audio. In the coming months and year, the company is expected to launch additional advanced capabilities such as enhanced targeting, dynamic ad insertion, creative channel takeover packages, and measurement tools across SiriusXM's ad inventory in 360L-enabled vehicles. This will give marketers a powerful platform to connect their brand with engaged audiences in the car and in other places only audio can reach. An important part of consumers' daily routines – from the morning commute to their workout routine to preparing dinner – audio creates deeper connections between listeners and creators, leading to more attention and higher impact for advertisers. "Play is an exciting net-new opportunity for marketers looking to tap into passionate, high-quality audiences across some of SiriusXM's most beloved music, talk, and sports channels, reaching listeners in the moments that matter," said Scott Walker, Chief Advertising Revenue Officer, SiriusXM. "The car is the final frontier for digital ad-supported media. In the short term, we are opening up new inventory for marketers, including premium, curated music. In the long term, with more advanced capabilities, we have a chance to revolutionize the in-car advertising landscape." More to come SiriusXM Play's expansion will make the package available to nearly 100 million vehicles by the end of 2025, with further growth on the horizon in the years to come. Additional channels and the more advanced advertising capabilities referenced will continue to roll out over time as the offering evolves. For listeners looking to access SiriusXM's signature ad-free music, exclusive artist-led music channels, Howard Stern, live sports play-by-play, league channels and more in-car, SiriusXM offers a compelling suite of packages and price points for every type of fan starting at $9.99 a month. Go to for more information. For more information about SiriusXM Play, visit About Sirius XM Holdings Inc. SiriusXM is the leading audio entertainment company in North America with a portfolio of audio businesses including its flagship subscription entertainment service SiriusXM; the ad-supported and premium music streaming services of Pandora; an expansive podcast network; and a suite of business and advertising solutions. Reaching a combined monthly audience of approximately 160 million listeners, SiriusXM offers a broad range of content for listeners everywhere they tune in with a diverse mix of live, on-demand, and curated programming across music, talk, news, and sports. For more about SiriusXM, please go to: This communication contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our outlook and our future financial and operating results, our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions with respect to future operations, products and services; and other statements identified by words such as "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimated," "believe," "intend," "plan," "projection," "outlook" or words of similar meaning or the negative version of such these words or phrases. Such forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond our control. Actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results and the timing of events to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements: Risks Relating to our Business and Operations: We face substantial competition and that competition has increased over time; our SiriusXM service has suffered a loss of subscribers and our Pandora ad-supported service has similarly experienced a loss of monthly active users; if our efforts to attract and retain subscribers and listeners, or convert listeners into subscribers, are not successful, our business will be adversely affected; we engage in extensive marketing efforts and the continued effectiveness of those efforts is an important part of our business; we rely on third parties for the operation of our business, and the failure of third parties to perform could adversely affect our business; failure to successfully monetize and generate revenues from podcasts and other non-music content could adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition; we may not realize the benefits of acquisitions or other strategic investments and initiatives; and the impact of economic conditions may adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition. Risks Relating to our SiriusXM Business: Changing consumer behavior and new technologies relating to our satellite radio business may reduce our subscribers and may cause our subscribers to purchase fewer services from us or to cancel our services altogether, resulting in less revenue to us; a substantial number of our SiriusXM service subscribers periodically cancel their subscriptions and we cannot predict how successful we will be at retaining customers; our ability to profitably attract and retain subscribers to our SiriusXM service is uncertain; our business depends in part upon the auto industry; the imposition of tariffs by the United States government could have a major effect on the United States auto industry, which Sirius XM is dependent upon as a material source of new subscribers; failure of our satellites would significantly damage our business; and our SiriusXM service may experience harmful interference from wireless operations. Risks Relating to our Pandora and Off-platform Business: Our Pandora and Off-platform business generates a significant portion of its revenues from advertising, and reduced spending by advertisers could harm our business; emerging industry trends may adversely impact our ability to generate revenue from advertising; our failure to convince advertisers of the benefits of our Pandora ad-supported service could harm our business; if we are unable to maintain our advertising revenue our results of operations will be adversely affected; changes to mobile operating systems and browsers may hinder our ability to sell advertising and market our services; and if we fail to accurately predict and play music, comedy or other content that our Pandora listeners enjoy, we may fail to retain existing and attract new listeners. Risks Relating to Laws and Governmental Regulations: Privacy and data security laws and regulations may hinder our ability to market our services, sell advertising and impose legal liabilities; consumer protection laws and our failure to comply with them could damage our business; failure to comply with FCC requirements could damage our business; we may face lawsuits, incur liability or suffer reputational harm as a result of content published or made available through our services; and environmental, social and governance expectations and related reporting obligations may expose us to potential liabilities, increased costs, reputational harm, and other adverse effects. Risks Associated with Data and Cybersecurity and the Protection of Consumer Information: If we fail to protect the security of personal information about our customers, we could be subject to costly government enforcement actions and private litigation and our reputation could suffer; we use artificial intelligence in our business, and challenges with properly managing its use could result in reputational harm, competitive harm, and legal liability and adversely affect our results of operations; and interruption or failure of our information technology and communications systems could impair the delivery of our service and harm our business. Risks Associated with Certain Intellectual Property Rights: Rapid technological and industry changes and new entrants could adversely impact our services; the market for music rights is changing and is subject to significant uncertainties; our Pandora services depend upon maintaining complex licenses with copyright owners, and these licenses contain onerous terms; failure to protect our intellectual property or actions by third parties to enforce their intellectual property rights could substantially harm our business and operating results; and some of our services and technologies use "open source" software, which may restrict how we use or distribute our services or require that we release the source code subject to those licenses. Risks Related to our Capital Structure: While we currently pay a quarterly cash dividend to holders of our common stock, we may change our dividend policy at any time; our holding company structure could restrict access to funds of our subsidiaries that may be needed to pay third party obligations; we have significant indebtedness, and our subsidiaries' debt contains certain covenants that restrict their operations; and our ability to incur additional indebtedness to fund our operations could be limited, which could negatively impact our operations. Risks Related to the Transactions: We may have a significant indemnity obligation to Liberty Media, which is not limited in amount or subject to any cap, if the transactions associated with the Split-Off are treated as a taxable transaction; we may determine to forgo certain transactions that might otherwise be advantageous in order to avoid the risk of incurring significant tax-related liabilities; we have assumed and are responsible for all of the liabilities attributed to the Liberty SiriusXM Group as a result of the completion of the Transactions, and acquired the assets of SplitCo on an "as is, where is" basis; we may be harmed by securities class action and derivative lawsuits in connection with the Transactions; it may be difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so may be beneficial to our stockholders; we have directors associated with Liberty Media, which may lead to conflicting interests; and our directors and officers are protected from liability for a broad range of actions. Other Operational Risks: If we are unable to attract and retain qualified personnel, our business could be harmed; our facilities could be damaged by natural catastrophes or terrorist activities; the unfavorable outcome of pending or future litigation could have an adverse impact on our operations and financial condition; we may be exposed to liabilities that other entertainment service providers would not customarily be subject to; and our business and prospects depend on the strength of our brands. Additional factors that could cause our results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, which is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and available at the SEC's Internet site ( The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this communication. Media contacts:Maggie Kevin Victoria View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Sirius XM Holdings Inc. Sign in to access your portfolio
The Verge
15-07-2025
- Business
- The Verge
SiriusXM is launching an ad-supported satellite radio plan.
Posted Jul 15, 2025 at 1:58 PM UTC SiriusXM is launching an ad-supported satellite radio plan. The new SiriusXM Play subscription will cost less than $7 per month and will include access to over 130 curated music and talk show channels. SiriusXM says the plan is currently only available 'on a limited basis,' but it plans to release more information later this year. The service's commercial-free plan starts at $9.99 per month, with the price going up depending on the addition of talk, news, or sports add-ons.
CNBC
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- CNBC
Sirius, long commercial-free in cars, is betting on advertising to capture new listeners
SiriusXM, the audio entertainment company that's long been known as a commercial-free option for in-car radios, is betting on advertising to propel its business. On Tuesday the company launched its first ad-supported subscription plan for car listening called SiriusXM Play. It's a cheaper option than its long-standing offering and will cost less than $7 each month for in-car and streaming. It features a limited set of commercials on a subset of its music, sports, news and talk show offerings, the company said. SiriusXM is looking to advertising in a similar way as its media counterparts in the traditional TV and streaming space in order to drive revenue and profit, and retain customers. As competition heats up, particularly with other audio options, SiriusXM is betting that a cheaper, ad-supported option will help convert more in-car free trial consumers to long-term customers. The option will currently be available on a limited basis, but SiriusXM expects to make the package available to nearly 100 million vehicles by the end of 2025. Further details on plans and package pricing will be available later this year. While subscribers to SiriusXM Play will initially have access to more than 130 music and talk channels, additional channels will be added over time, the company said. The popular talk radio host Howard Stern, as well as live sports play-by-play and certain artist-led music channels will remain exclusive to ad-free customers in the car. SiriusXM offers a variety of commercial-free packages that range between $9.99 and $24.98 per month. While SiriusXM is known for its in-car service, it also offers a streaming app and owns Pandora, another music streaming service, which has its own ad-supported plans. SiriusXM has identified one key target audience already for its ad-supported tier: drivers who've recently purchased a car and don't renew SiriusXM service after their free trial expires, executives told CNBC. The consideration of advertising for SiriusXM's in-car business "has been out there for quite some time," said Chief Operating Officer Wayne Thorsen in an interview. The company has been experimenting with advertising for SiriusXM and in 2024 began offering a free, ad-supported version with limited content to select vehicles. Thorsen said this is akin to Spotify's free tier and is used as a way to win back customers who drop off free trials and push them toward upgraded, paid plans. The new ad-supported plan launched on Tuesday is a different experience from both this and the main ad-free SiriusXM experience, and the company doesn't expect a majority of its users will switch over. "There's a lot of people who don't convert when they're in our trial funnels. They like the service, and then the price comes in," he said. The length of SiriusXM in-car free trials varies, with the vast majority spanning three months. "What does this mean [for SiriusXM]? I think that the example I'd probably use is Netflix. It had a very similar dilemma," Thorsen said. For years, Netflix balked at adding commercials to its streaming service. "They found themselves, at least domestically in the U.S., with slowing growth. They had to find a way to embrace something that was a little bit more price-conscious," Thorsen said. Netflix and SiriusXM both already have a lot of subscribers, a natural limiter of growth. Netflix, for its part, has stopped reporting its quarterly subscriber growth to put the focus on its profitability and other metrics. When the company reported losses in 2022, its stock price took a hit. Since introducing an ad-supported plan and a crackdown on password sharing, however, Netflix shares soared. Meanwhile, SiriusXM also faces competitive pressures. Namely, there's the rise of technology that allows consumers to stream other services in their cars, such as Spotify and Apple Music. While the company has owned Pandora since 2019, it's been focused in recent years on building out the SiriusXM streaming-only app. In the face of these challenges, SiriusXM is leaning into what it has long considered its strength — its position in the car — spearheaded by CEO Jennifer Witz. Months after it was split from John Malone's Liberty Media empire, SiriusXM announced in December an updated strategic plan with the aim of focusing on its in-car radio business and a new focus on advertising. It also announced Thorsen as COO and provided investors with fresh financial targets. SiriusXM said it would shift marketing and other resources away from what it called "high-cost" audiences in streaming, which often drop in and out of subscription plans, "to focus resources on core revenue-generating segments." In-car subscriptions make up 90% of its customer base. "We entered this year with a very clear focus on what we do best, which is super-serving our core audience segments with our unmatched distribution in the car and our very unique content offering focused on live, exclusive and human-curated content," said Witz at an investor conference in May. "I am confident we're on the right path." SiriusXM ended its first quarter with 33 million total subscribers, a decrease of 303,000 subscribers during the period. Gross profit for SiriusXM was $937 million, down 6% from the prior-year period, with a gross margin of 59%, 1 percentage point lower than the prior year period. In total, SiriusXM reported $2.07 billion in quarterly revenue for its most recent quarter, a drop of 4% from the prior year, and net income of $204 million, down from $241 million. The results also includes Pandora and other off-platform business. The company's next earnings report comes on July 31. Advertising revenue is already playing a role in the business. SiriusXM had roughly $1.8 billion in total ad revenue in 2024. In May it reported $394 million in ad revenue for its most recent quarter, a decline from the same period in the prior year. This was partially offset by the growing podcast business. Still, the introduction of the ad-supported subscription plan comes during a weak point for the advertising market. The ad market across traditional media has been soft in recent years, particularly due to macroeconomic challenges. That was amplified this year due to President Donald Trump's trade policies that threw corporate expenses into question. Scott Walker, SiriusXM's chief advertising revenue officer, called the current ad environment "unpredictable." "Our business ebbs and flows with the macroenvironment, and there's certainly been a lot of companies that have been disrupted by tariff noise, especially those with supply chains overseas," said Walker.
