SiriusXM is hanging on to Howard Stern, but just barely.
The self-proclaimed King of All Media is set to debut the latest season of his namesake show in mid-September, but with fewer airings than ever before.
Moving forward, Stern’s satellite radio show will air a live broadcast just once per week, SiriusXM said in a statement on Monday. For the first time, those live broadcasts will be adapted into streamable episodes for HBO Max, where “The Howard Stern Show” will debut September 17.
New HBO Max episodes will be released on subsequent Thursdays, with periodic extras also planned. SiriusXM said 40 cameras will capture Stern’s live show, giving the HBO Max version a studio-based video format built from the audio program.
The arrangement adds a new video outlet for Stern while keeping his live show exclusive to SiriusXM, where he has worked for more than two decades. SiriusXM said Stern will continue with the company through 2028 for his exclusive live show and deep library of past programs. SiriusXM has the rights to replay his shows — including from before his time at the company — through 2032.
“There’s simply no one like Howard, and the start of his new season is another exciting chapter in an extraordinary run,” Scott Greenstein, the President and Chief Content Officer of SiriusXM, said in a statement.
There may not be another Howard Stern, but SiriusXM has definitely tried to locate his spiritual successor: Entertainer Andy Cohen is set to take over one of Stern’s two channel slots on SiriusXM on Tuesday, and is seen as the most-likely to succeed him in terms of the most-marketable talent within the company.
Other personalities brought on to SiriusXM over the past few years include Alice Cooper, John Mayer, Kelly Clarkson, Megyn Kelly, Chris Cuomo, Carrie Underwood, Conan O’Brien and Smokey Robinson — any of whom could emerge as the next breakout for the company.
In the meantime, SiriusXM will continue to ride the Stern train for as long as they can — and Stern will continue cashing those checks.
“We are proud that Howard chose to continue with SiriusXM through 2028 for his exclusive live show and deep library of classic Howard, and that Howard, HBO Max and SiriusXM have now teamed up to create a compelling new video version of his show,” Greenstein said.
The HBO Max series follows Stern’s 2022 interview with Bruce Springsteen, which also streamed on the platform. Stern’s SiriusXM tenure has included high-profile interviews, a stint as a judge on “America’s Got Talent” and the release of his book “Howard Stern Comes Again.”
SiriusXM is also updating Stern’s Howard 100 channel beginning September 14. The refreshed lineup will include “Wrap Up Wednesday,” an expanded version of “The Wrap Up Show” hosted by Gary Dell’Abate and Jon Hein.
The Howard Stern section of the SiriusXM app will also expand with “Howard Stern Decades,” offering access to Stern content from or about the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
Stern’s show is available to stream on the SiriusXM app via supported plans.
