SiriusXM Embraces Ad Supported Plan to Attract New Listeners

UPDATE 1:00 PM

SiriusXM today announced the launch of SiriusXM Play, the company's first low-cost, ad-supported subscription package. Welcoming new listeners to experience the company's flagship audio service at a low monthly price of less than $7, SiriusXM Play offers access to over 130 channels with limited ads in-car and even more to discover streaming in the app, delivering a compelling subset of its signature premium, curated music, talk, and sports programming at an exceptional value. For marketers, Play expands on SiriusXM's existing talk programming ad inventory to now include the previously untapped opportunity to reach consumers within its unparalleled music channels, giving advertisers a one-of-a-kind platform to meaningfully connect in the car and out with listeners across North America.

"SiriusXM Play presents us with an incredible opportunity to thoughtfully scale our audio service on the road and off to even more listeners across North America," said Wayne Thorsen, SiriusXM's Chief Operating Officer. 

Wayne Thorsen

"With Play, we can reach and engage with new, more price-sensitive listeners with a low-cost, ad-supported subscription with more than 130 channels available in-car and so much more in-app, and leverage our strengths across both content and technology as the premium audio leader in-car to deliver this compelling offering to consumers and advertisers alike."

Currently available on a limited basis, SiriusXM Play will continue to scale in the coming months, with package pricing and further details to be announced later in 2025.

SiriusXM Play gives subscribers more than 130 music and talk channels in-car that longtime listeners have come to know and love, including homegrown music formats and fan-favorite channels across sports, talk and entertainment, news, and comedy. As it rolls out, Play is expected to include:

• Music: Hits 1, The Highway, Hip-Hop Nation + more
• Sports: Mad Dog Sports Radio, College Sports Radio, Fantasy Sports Radio + more
• News: POTUS, Patriot, Progress + more
• Talk + Entertainment: Radio Andy, Conan O'Brien Radio, TODAY Show Radio + more
• Comedy: Kevin Hart's LOL Radio, Comedy Central Radio, Jeff & Larry's Comedy Roundup + more

SiriusXM Play subscribers with 360L vehicles may also have access to additional features in-car such as SiriusXM Xtra channels.

In addition to its built-for-the-road, easy-to-use in-car experience, SiriusXM Play includes access to the SiriusXM app, the perfect complement to the in-car listening experience that allows fans to go deeper into their passions and get closer to their favorite music, artists, personalities, and sports. The SiriusXM app gives Play subscribers access to SiriusXM's complete catalog of live and on-demand content as well as Artist Stations and podcasts, outside of the vehicle and wherever subscribers would like to listen.

The launch of Play allows marketers to tap into SiriusXM's premium, curated music programming and unlock its highly passionate subscriber base in an intimate environment with few distractions: the car. Offering about half the ad load of traditional AM/FM radio at launch, SiriusXM Play gives marketers the ability to deliver powerful audio ads with fewer interruptions and reach an engaged, leaned-in consumer.

Play is expected to enhance SiriusXM's extensive advertising portfolio, which reaches an impressive 160 million listeners each month across satellite broadcast (featuring SiriusXM's talk and sports programming in addition to the new ad-supported Play music channels), streaming (inclusive of Pandora, SoundCloud, and more), and the SiriusXM Podcast Network. By the end of 2025, advertisers will be able to seamlessly buy across all of these touchpoints with one unified transaction, tapping into powerful audiences at scale in audio. This further solidifies SiriusXM Media, the company's advertising group, as a leader in ad-supported audio.

In the coming months and year, the company is expected to launch additional advanced capabilities such as enhanced targeting, dynamic ad insertion, creative channel takeover packages, and measurement tools across SiriusXM's ad inventory in 360L-enabled vehicles. This will give marketers a powerful platform to connect their brand with engaged audiences in the car and in other places only audio can reach. An important part of consumers' daily routines – from the morning commute to their workout routine to preparing dinner – audio creates deeper connections between listeners and creators, leading to more attention and higher impact for advertisers.

Scott Walker

"Play is an exciting net-new opportunity for marketers looking to tap into passionate, high-quality audiences across some of SiriusXM's most beloved music, talk, and sports channels, reaching listeners in the moments that matter," said Scott Walker, Chief Advertising Revenue Officer, SiriusXM. "The car is the final frontier for digital ad-supported media. In the short term, we are opening up new inventory for marketers, including premium, curated music. In the long term, with more advanced capabilities, we have a chance to revolutionize the in-car advertising landscape."

SiriusXM Play's expansion will make the package available to nearly 100 million vehicles by the end of 2025, with further growth on the horizon in the years to come. Additional channels and the more advanced advertising capabilities referenced will continue to roll out over time as the offering evolves.

For listeners looking to access SiriusXM's signature ad-free music, exclusive artist-led music channels, Howard Stern, live sports play-by-play, league channels and more in-car, SiriusXM offers a compelling suite of packages and price points for every type of fan starting at $9.99 a month. Go to siriusxm.com for more information.