SiriusXM Pandora will launch a satellite radio channel in partnership with Conan O’Brien in the coming months, the company’s executive confirmed at an event on Wednesday.
Speaking at the BofA Securities 2022 Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference, SiriusXM Pandora Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Witz said the new channel is part of a broader strategy that will see additional content being added to SiriusXM’s various products as it seeks to attract a younger audience to its digital platforms.
“Conan has agreed to a channel that he will curate and produce that will launch later this year,” Witz affirmed.
SiriusXM Pandora acquired O’Brien’s media production company Team Coco in May. SiriusXM and Team Coco have never revealed the deal’s valuation, but the Wall Street Journal said it was priced at around $150 million.
The deal included full development and distribution rights to “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” the flagship podcast starring O’Brien, his assistant Sona Movsesian and executive producer Matthew Gourley. The podcast has long been distributed by Earwolf, a podcast company that SiriusXM Pandora acquired through its purchase of parent company Stitcher more than two years ago.
The forthcoming Conan O’Brien linear channel is expected to be available on SiriusXM’s satellite and streaming services. It was not clear if it would be included in SiriusXM’s base package, which costs around $18 a month, or if it will be relegated to the premium “All Access” package that costs closer to $22 a month.
