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Some SiriusXM customers to get free access to Stitcher Premium

Talk show host and podcaster Conan O'Brien appears in an undated image.
Talk show host and podcaster Conan O’Brien appears in an undated image. (Photo courtesy Team Coco Productions/SiriusXM Pandora, Graphic by The Desk)

SiriusXM Pandora says some customers of its flagship satellite and streaming radio service now have free access to the premium version of its podcast app, Stitcher.

Last week, the company said radio customers who subscribe to SiriusXM Platinum can use their streaming credentials to sign in to Stitcher, where they will have free access to the premium tier of the podcast service.

Stitcher Premium offers commercial-free versions of popular podcasts produced by SiriusXM and its in-house brands, including Earwolf (“Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” “Fckery with Leslie Jones,” “Comedy Bang Bang,” “Office Ladies”), Crooked Media and Freakonomics Radio Network. Some of those shows are available up to a day early for premium subscribers when compared to their normal debut date on other platforms.

The premium tier of Stitcher also unlocks over 300 comedy albums, which can be streamed using the Stitcher app for smartphones, tablets, smart TVs and in web browsers on desktops and laptops.

“Stitcher Premium is a terrific value add for our Platinum and Streaming Platinum subscribers,” Richard Beatty, SiriusXM’s chief revenue officer, said in a statement. “With one subscription and one set of login credentials, our listeners get our full spectrum of unparalleled SiriusXM content, and now a huge selection of popular podcast content on Stitcher as well.”

SiriusXM Platinum for hardware radios includes access to over 80 commercial-free music channels as well as dozens of news, talk and sports programming. It also includes access to SiriusXM’s streaming service, which offers more than 400 curated music streams coupled with the same news, talk and sports programming. Play-by-play sports from the National Football League, Major League Baseball and other sports leagues is included with the plan.

SiriusXM Streaming Platinum is the same as the hardware radio plan, but is offered at a lower rate for customers who simply want to use their smartphone, tablet or smart speaker to stream SiriusXM radio channels.

A spokesperson for the radio service said free access to Stitcher Premium is also included with SiriusXM Platinum VIP, which is the same as SiriusXM Platinum except that it includes two hardware radio subscriptions and two streaming radio subscriptions. SiriusXM Platinum VIP also offers 12 months of Apple Music for free and access to the live music website nugs.com.

“This enhancement to our Platinum Plans delivers more content with no extra cost and no hassle to sign up. It’s another great way for SiriusXM to connect people to the voices, stories and music they love,” Beatty said.

The Stitcher Premium perk is the first time SiriusXM Pandora has bundled a Stitcher product with any of its other service since the radio company acquired the podcast platform in 2020. The deal was valued at $325 million and was intended to bolster the company’s streaming audio ambitions beyond its traditional radio service.

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys covers the business of broadcast and streaming TV, radio broadcasting, social media, technology and telecommunications. A journalist for over 15 years, Matthew previously worked at Thomson Reuters, KGO-TV in San Francisco, KTXL in Sacramento and McNaughton Newspapers. He received 9 California Journalism Awards between 2018 and 2020, and is a member of IRE (Investigative Reporters and Editors).
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