Premium radio provider SiriusXM is partnering with the Walt Disney Company’s sports streaming service ESPN Plus to offer trial subscriptions of both products to each other’s subscribers, the companies announced on Tuesday.
Starting this week, subscribers of SiriusXM’s “VIP Platinum” package are eligible to receive a special offer that unlocks access to ESPN Plus for six months, effectively offering those sports fans an extended free trial of the service, the companies said. Other SiriusXM subscribers will get the same offer in the coming weeks.
Later this month, ESPN Plus subscribers will be offered a six-month trial to the streaming version of SiriusXM’s radio service, which includes commercial-free music streams and unlocks access to pro- and college-level sports play-by-play, as well as three ESPN-branded radio feeds — ESPN Radio, ESPN Podcasts and ESPN Xtra.
The partnership comes as both brands team up on ESPN Radio’s College Campus tour, which features shows from ESPN Radio and SiriusXM College Sports Radio broadcasting live from colleges and universities across the country. The radio channels utilize a customized Airstream trailer to deliver live shows from tailgating experiences, the companies said.
“Collaborating with SiriusXM on this offer will not only provide ESPN Plus subscribers with access to their vast entertainment offerings, but it also opens the door for SiriusXM customers to experience our premium sports content on ESPN Plus,” said Sean Breen, the Executive Vice President of Platform Distribution at Disney Entertainment and ESPN. “This deal underscores our commitment to providing consumers with unparalleled access to best-in-class programming spanning all genres and interests.”
“ESPN and SiriusXM are powerhouses in sports news and entertainment, and we’re thrilled to expand upon our longstanding relationship with this new agreement,” said Jeff Dallesandro, the Senior Vice President of Streaming Distribution Partnerships at SiriusXM. “Designed to bring listeners and viewers closer to the personalities, players, teams and leagues they love by combining both SiriusXM’s and ESPN Plus’s live sports programming, exclusive analysis, and extensive on-demand content, this collaboration will deliver value for fans while also potentially driving growth for each brand.”
The partnership could help both subscription-based products grow their customer base as sports fans look for new ways to engage with live and on-demand programming. ESPN Plus has around 25 million subscribers, while SiriusXM has between 32 million and 33 million paid and free trial customers.
SiriusXM and ESPN said offers that promote each other’s streaming products will be e-mailed to eligible subscribers who opt-in to marketing messages. Of course, customers don’t have to wait for those e-mails to take advantage of different offerings from the two companies: Sports fans who want access to ESPN Plus can start streaming live sports and on-demand programming when they sign up for a plan by clicking or tapping here. Likewise, radio fans can sign up for an extended trial of SiriusXM’s streaming radio plan when they click or tap here.
