Streaming and satellite radio brand SiriusXM has forged a content distribution, advertising and events-based partnership with SmartLess Media, the companies said on Monday.
The deal will see the flagship “SmartLess” podcast and several other shows produced by SmartLess Media gain distribution across SiriusXM’s satellite and streaming audio platforms, and includes “certain exclusive advertising and distribution rights, content, events, and more,” a SiriusXM spokesperson said.
As part of the agreement, SiriusXM satellite and streaming radio subscribers will get early access to SmartLess episodes and those from certain other podcasts, including “Just Jack & Will,” “Owned” and “Bad Dates.” Subscribers will also get other perks, including the privilege of scoring early tickets to live productions of those shows, the companies affirmed.
“At SiriusXM, we are proud to be home to the stars, and with Jason, Sean, and Will joining us, that statement has never been more true,” Scott Greenstein, the President and Chief Content Officer at SiriusXM, said in a statement. “Over the past several years, we have doubled down on our commitment to podcasting, and with the addition of SmartLess, we are strengthening our leadership position in podcasting.”
Greenstein called the deal a “groundbreaking new collaboration showcases our power to drive growth for an established podcast while bringing unique value back to our subscribers through exclusive content and events.”
“I’m looking forward to new SmartLess’ listeners discovering this one-of-a-kind trio’s inimitable style on SiriusXM, and for current fans to see what magic happens when we team up together,” Greenstein concluded.
SiriusXM said around 50 percent of podcast listeners in the United States consume one of its owned or distributed shows each month.
“With the addition of these SmartLess Media podcasts, it will be easier than ever for advertisers to tap into the power of podcasting at scale with ease, courtesy of SiriusXM Media,” a spokesperson said.
Like other radio companies, SiriusXM has increasingly invested in on-demand and streaming-based audio content as consumption moves from linear and traditional forms of radio toward digital, connected platforms.
The company has spent big acquiring and drawing in content from a number of providers, including Stitcher, Earwolf and Team Coco, bringing shows like “Crime Junkie,” “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” “Office Ladies” and “Three Questions with Andy Richter” under the control of SiriusXM.
