SiriusXM is the New Destination for Original, Exclusive, and Popular Podcasts

Rhea-AI Summary

SiriusXM launches a new destination for original and popular podcasts, featuring content from Marvel Entertainment and renowned hosts like Kevin Hart. Subscribers can access exclusive podcasts through the SiriusXM app starting today, with a special 'Listen Free' campaign running from November 19 to December 1, 2020, allowing non-subscribers to sample over 300 channels.

The initiative enhances SiriusXM's podcast offerings, solidifying its position as a leading audio entertainment provider in the U.S. The platform is bolstered by recent acquisitions of Stitcher and Simplecast.

Positive

• Launch of exclusive podcasts from Marvel and SiriusXM.
• New original series from popular hosts like Kevin Hart and Jeff Lewis.
• Expansion of podcast offerings potentially increasing subscriber engagement.
• Listen Free campaign to attract new subscribers.

Negative

• None.

NEW YORK, Nov. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Starting today, SiriusXM is the new destination for original, exclusive, and popular podcasts with exclusive new original podcasts from Marvel Entertainment, a slate of SiriusXM original series featuring new shows from popular SiriusXM hosts including Jeff Lewis and Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo, influential podcasts from FOX News, and a highly-curated selection of popular podcasts from leading creators and providers including Stitcher, NBC News, CNN, NPR, ViacomCBS, The Wall Street Journal, HBO, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Joel Osteen Ministries, Wondery, Barstool, Westwood One, Crooked Media, TNT, WNYC Studios, Slate, PodcastOne, TED, Cadence13, Pineapple Street Studios, PRX, Pushkin Industries and many more. Kevin Hart's Laugh out Loud Radio will also roll out a slate of new radio shows and podcasts on SiriusXM beginning in 2021, including Hart's first-ever, solo-hosted podcast.

Starting today, SiriusXM subscribers with streaming access can enjoy a unique mix of exclusive, original, and popular podcasts via the SiriusXM mobile app or online at www.siriusxm.com/podcast2020

The launch of SiriusXM's new podcast destination coincides with its latest "Listen Free" campaign, where any non-subscriber in North America can sample SiriusXM's wide variety of audio entertainment with no credit card required - including 300+ channels and hundreds of podcasts - from November 19 to December 1, 2020. For more information, visit www.siriusxm.com/freelisten3

"As the popularity of podcasts continues to expand, we're thrilled to offer our subscribers an amazing selection of podcast entertainment and expand on our unmatched variety of compelling, must-hear programming," said Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM's President and Chief Content Officer. "With exclusive new series from entertainment powerhouses like Marvel and Kevin Hart, SiriusXM originals from some of our most popular hosts, and a curated collection of top shows from leading providers, subscribers now have direct access to our new destination for podcasts without ever leaving the SiriusXM app. And with Stitcher and their catalog of hugely popular original podcasts joining the SiriusXM family, this is just the beginning."

Podcasts now available to SiriusXM subscribers with streaming access include:

• Exclusive new original podcasts from Marvel and SiriusXM:
      
• Marvel/Method - A brand-new exclusive weekly SiriusXM podcast where Method Man interviews celebrity guests including Killer Mike, DMC, and Jemele Hill about life and all things fandom, Marvel comics, music, and more. (premiering today).

• Marvel's Declassified - An exclusive nonfiction narrative podcast focusing on the rich, dynamic, and evolving history of Marvel Comics - as told through a contemporary lens (scheduled to premiere December 8th).

• Marvel's Wastelanders - A new multi-part original scripted series available exclusively on SiriusXM featuring Marvel heroes Old Man Star-Lord, Grey Widow, Old Man Hawkeye, Old Man Wolverine, and more. (Coming in 2021)

               Plus, SiriusXM subscribers are the first to hear other Marvel podcasts, including:

• The exclusive Spanish-language version of Marvel's Wolverine: The Long Night (scheduled to premiere in December)

• This Week in Marvel – Marvel hosts Ryan "Agent M" Penagos, Lorraine Cink, and James Monroe Iglehart share inside access to all the latest Marvel comics, TV, movies, games, toys, and beyond! 

• Women of Marvel – The Women of Marvel assemble to show how people of all backgrounds are making a powerful and positive impact on Marvel stories.

• Marvel's Pull List – Each week, Ryan "Agent M" Penagos and Tucker Markus give exclusive previews of all the new Marvel comics that will be available in stores.
   
• Season 3 of Marvel's Voices - Hosted by Angelique Roche, featuring more in-depth conversations with diverse storytellers about their creative processes, collaborations, and professional journeys (scheduled to premiere December 3^rd) 

• A slate of exclusive new SiriusXM original podcast series including:

• Comedian Kevin Hart's first-ever solo-hosted podcast (coming soon)

• Huuuge Fan - Host LaChina Robinson welcomes celebs like Tracy Morgan, Darius Rucker, Ashley Judd, and Dierks Bentley to share their journeys about being rabid fans of their favorite sports teams.

• Jeff Lewis Has Issues - The former Flipping Out star and SiriusXM host dives into his personal issues - from relationships to parenting and beyond - with an array of friends and experts.

• Digging Up the Past with Christopher Russo - SiriusXM's Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo takes a historical deep-dive into the events and innovations that have shaped the sports landscape, starting with a history of Thanksgiving-day NFL games and how they've become as much of a holiday staple as turkey dinners, featuring Bill Belichick, Earl Campbell, Bill Parcells, Gil Brandt and many others.

• Podversaries – A new podcast series that tells the stories behind some of the greatest rivalries in sports history with the people who witnessed them firsthand, including: 
• Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning - Hear from the two icons themselves and those who played with and against them.
• Yankees vs. Red Sox - Rapper/producer Chuck D looks at the history between two of baseball's greatest adversaries.
• Michigan vs. Ohio State - Featuring memories from those who played in "The Game," including Desmond Howard, whose famous Heisman pose remains an enduring image from this rivalry.
• Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes - Chronicles the defining rivalry between two of the greatest personalities in professional wrestling history
• Dale Earnhardt vs. Jeff Gordon - A close-up of the rivals who represented, and dominated, two different eras of NASCAR.

• I Want My 80s Podcast - Each week, original MTV VJs Mark Goodman, Nina Blackwood, and Alan Hunter flash back to discuss and give personal insights into the defining moments of the 80s.

• Vital Signs - The doctors and staff at NYU Langone Health share moving personal stories from the front lines of the prestigious medical center.

• Exit 209 with Storme Warren – The host of SiriusXM's The Highway traces the humble beginnings of country music's biggest stars, starting with hugely popular duo Florida Georgia Line.

• Unboxing the 90s with Jim Shearer – The former MTV/VH1 VJ hangs out with the artists and celebs who defined the 90s to unbox the decade's most indelible songs, entertainment, and cultural moments.

• Comic-Con Begins: An Oral History of San Diego Comic-Con - A six-part documentary series chronicling the rise of the legendary comic convention from its origins in the early 70s to its impact on modern-day fandom

• SiriusXM Comedy Docs - A collection of SiriusXM's best new and archival comedy documentaries launching with Hope on Top: A Mitch Hedberg Oral History, a brand-new two-part special hosted by journalist Julie Seabaugh featuring commentary from comedians including Doug Stanhope and Dave Attell. Additional documentary podcasts from the SiriusXM Comedy vault will celebrate the careers of Robin Williams, Redd Foxx, Joan Rivers, and many more.

• The MeidasTouch Show - Following their successful limited run on SiriusXM Progress leading up to the 2020 Election, the three brothers behind MeidasTouch, whose infamous viral videos took on the Trump administration, host a new show amplifying progressive policies and taking the wind out of right-wing talking points.

• Makeup to Breakup – Host Julia Cunningham and a rotating cast of journalists and insiders trace the wild, sad, and triumphant stories of the rise and fall of popular music groups, including the White Stripes, Destiny's Child, and Pink Floyd.

• Influential podcasts from FOX News Media featuring FOX News Channel's top-rated primetime lineup including The Five, Special Report with Bret Baier, The Story with Martha MacCallum, Tucker Carlson Tonight, Hannity, The Ingraham Angle, and FOX News @ Night with Shannon Bream

• A wide selection of podcasting's best and most popular shows including Pod Save America, My Favorite Murder, Song Exploder, Dr. Death, Call Her Daddy, and Up First from leading creators and providers including NBC News, CNN, NPR, ViacomCBS, The Wall Street Journal, HBO, ESPN, Westwood One, Barstool, Crooked Media, Sports Illustrated, Joel Osteen Ministries, Wondery, TNT, WNYC Studios, Slate, PodcastOne, TED, Cadence13, Pineapple Street Studios, PRX, Exactly Right, Pushkin Industries, and many more

• Over 60 podcasts from across Stitcher's catalog of popular original shows, including Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, Freakonomics Radio, Science Rules! With Bill Nye, Office Ladies, and Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

• Highlights from dozens of SiriusXM shows presented as podcasts featuring popular hosts including Andy Cohen, Hoda Kotb, Coach K, Gayle King, Dan Rather, and more

"Marvel has always told stories to entertain and inspire. And just as Marvel's stories began in the comics and grew into the rich universe we know today, we see audio storytelling as just the beginning of unlimited possibilities for our brand," said Dan Buckley, President of Marvel Entertainment. "Our fans are consuming content more than ever, and now wherever they are, they can explore the Marvel Universe through brand-new and ongoing podcasts that bring Marvel together with the world and people around us, along with exciting new scripted content coming on SiriusXM's platform next year."

Today's launch follows SiriusXM's acquisitions of leading podcast platforms Simplecast and Stitcher, which along with Pandora and AdsWizz establish SiriusXM as the premier full-service platform for podcast creators, publishers, and advertisers.

About SiriusXM
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) is the leading audio entertainment company in the U.S., and the premier programmer and platform for subscription and digital advertising-supported audio products. Pandora, a subsidiary of SiriusXM, is the largest ad-supported audio entertainment streaming service in the U.S. SiriusXM and Pandora's properties reach more than 150 million listeners, the largest addressable audience in the U.S., across all categories of digital audio – music, sports, talk, and podcasts. SiriusXM's acquisitions of Stitcher and Simplecast, alongside industry-leading ad tech company AdsWizz, make it a leader in podcast hosting, production, distribution, analytics and monetization. SiriusXM, through Sirius XM Canada Holdings, Inc., also offers satellite radio and audio entertainment in Canada. In addition to its audio entertainment businesses, SiriusXM offers connected vehicle services to automakers. For more about SiriusXM, please go to: www.siriusxm.com.

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 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. 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:  the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is adversely impacting our business; our substantial competition that is likely to increase over time; our efforts to attract and retain subscribers and listeners, or convert listeners into subscribers, which may not be successful, and may adversely affect our business; our Pandora ad-supported business has suffered a loss of monthly active users, which may adversely affect our Pandora business; privacy and data security laws and regulations may hinder our ability to market our services, sell advertising and impose legal liabilities; we engage in extensive marketing efforts and the continued effectiveness of those efforts are an important part of our business; consumer protection laws and our failure to comply with them could damage our business; a substantial number of our Sirius XM 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 Sirius XM service as our marketing efforts reach more price-sensitive consumers is uncertain; our failure to convince advertisers of the benefits of our Pandora ad-supported service could harm our business; if we are unable to maintain revenue growth from our advertising products, particularly in mobile advertising, our results of operations will be adversely affected; 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; 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; interruption or failure of our information technology and communications systems could impair the delivery of our service and harm 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; our business depends in part upon the auto industry; our Pandora business depends in part upon consumer electronics manufacturers; the market for music rights is changing and is subject to significant uncertainties; our ability to offer interactive features in our Pandora services depends upon maintaining licenses with copyright owners; the rates we must pay for "mechanical rights" to use musical works on our Pandora service have increased substantially and these new rates may adversely affect our business; failure of our satellites would significantly damage our business; our Sirius XM service may experience harmful interference from wireless operations; failure to comply with FCC requirements could damage our business; economic conditions, including advertising budgets and discretionary spending, may adversely affect our business and operating results; if we are unable to attract and retain qualified personnel, our business could be harmed; we may not realize the benefits of acquisitions or other strategic investments and initiatives, including the acquisition of Pandora; our use of pre-1972 sound recordings on our Pandora service could result in additional costs; we may from time to time modify our business plan, and these changes could adversely affect us and our financial condition; we have a significant amount of indebtedness, and our debt contains certain covenants that restrict our operations; 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; 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; some of our services and technologies may 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; rapid technological and industry changes and new entrants could adversely impact our services; existing or future laws and regulations could harm our business; we may be exposed to liabilities that other entertainment service providers would not customarily be subject to; our business and prospects depend on the strength of our brands; we are a "controlled company" within the meaning of the NASDAQ listing rules and, as a result, qualify for, and rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements; while we currently pay a quarterly cash dividend to holders of our common stock, we may change our dividend policy at any time; and our principal stockholder has significant influence, including over actions requiring stockholder approval, and its interests may differ from the interests of other holders of our common stock. 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, 2019 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 30, 2020, which are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and available at the SEC's Internet site (http://www.sec.gov). 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.

Source: SiriusXM

Media contacts for SiriusXM:
Patrick Reilly
Patrick.Reilly@siriusxm.com 

Jason Roth
jroth@pandora.com 

Media contact for Marvel Entertainment:
Timothy Cheng
tcheng@marvel.com 

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SOURCE Sirius XM Holdings Inc.

FAQ

What new podcasts have been launched by SiriusXM?

SiriusXM has launched exclusive podcasts from Marvel, including Marvel/Method and Marvel's Declassified, along with original series featuring hosts like Kevin Hart.

When does the SiriusXM 'Listen Free' campaign run?

The 'Listen Free' campaign runs from November 19 to December 1, 2020, allowing non-subscribers to access SiriusXM's offerings.

What partnerships has SiriusXM formed to enhance its podcast offerings?

SiriusXM has partnered with leading content providers like Marvel and has acquired platforms like Stitcher and Simplecast to expand its podcast catalog.

What is the significance of SiriusXM's podcast expansion for investors?

The expansion into podcasts could drive subscriber growth and engagement, potentially benefiting shareholders with increased revenue.

How many listeners does SiriusXM reach with its audio services?

SiriusXM and Pandora reach over 150 million listeners, making them a major player in the audio entertainment market.