Satellite radio company SiriusXM will start offering subscribers the ability to download and stream podcasts from its companion streaming radio app, the company announced on Thursday.
In a statement, SiriusXM said its streaming platform will become the exclusive destination for on-demand shows produced by the satellite radio company as well as Walt Disney’s Marvel Entertainment.
The company said those podcasts will exist alongside a highly-curated catalog of on-demand shows from Stitcher, NBC News, CNN, NPR, ViacomCBS, the Wall Street Journal, HBO, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Wondery, Westwood One, Crooked Media, TED, PRX and others. Comedian Kevin Hart, who programs a linear satellite radio channel, will launch his own podcast on the streaming platform in the coming months, SiriusXM said.
“Subscribers with streaming access can enjoy a unique mix of exclusive, original, and popular podcasts via the SiriusXM mobile app or online at siriusxm.com,” the company said in a statement. “This launch also coincides with the 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 more than 300 channels and hundreds of podcasts — from November 19 to December 1, 2020.”
Customers can try SiriusXM for free by visiting https://siriusxm.com/freelisten3.
SiriusXM’s incorporation of podcasts into its streaming app wasn’t unexpected: The company has made several high-purchase acquisitions in the Internet-based on-demand streaming media space.
In July, SiriusXM acquired podcast platform Stitcher from the E.W. Scripps Company for $325 million. Earlier this month, the company purchased podcast ad company Megaphone for another $235 million, according to a report.
SiriusXM’s other audio streaming service, Pandora, has offered podcasts to its listeners since 2018.
