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Tag: SiriusXM

  • T-Mobile Will Get Access to Enhanced Pandora Service Free

    T-Mobile Will Get Access to Enhanced Pandora Service Free

    T-Mobile has announced it is partnering with SiriusXM to offer access to an enhanced Pandora music experience for its wireless customers.

    Starting next week, as part of its T-Mobile Tuesdays deals, the wireless carrier is offering free access to an enhanced version of Pandora’s streaming music service, exclusive to T-Mobile customers. The new enhanced service will include:

    • Ad-free stations each weekend.
    • Special “Top Tracks” stations powered by Pandora’s parent company SiriusXM. The stations will feature songs curated from popular SiriusXM channels.
    • Exclusive access to SiriusXM original podcasts.
    • Early access to SiriusXM podcasts on Pandora.

    “Pandora and T-Mobile have built on our longstanding relationship to create a unique new way for T-Mobile customers to discover, share, and listen to the music and podcasts they love most,” said Denise Karkos, CMO of SiriusXM. “We’ve combined Pandora’s personalized listening experience with access to a special selection of must-hear SiriusXM audio entertainment, along with ad-free radio weekends, to deliver even more for T-Mobile customers.”

    “We’re rolling out the magenta carpet once again for T-Mobile customers giving more free benefits and even more value through partnerships with today’s best brands,” said T-Mobile CMO Matt Staneff. “Now more than ever, we recognize the power that music has to connect communities. Today marks another exciting step in our relationship with Pandora, offering T-Mobile customers a new, supercharged version of a brand they already love. At T-Mobile, it’s about getting more value on us — just for being with us.”

  • SiriusXM Moves Deeper Into Podcasting – Completes Stitcher Deal

    SiriusXM Moves Deeper Into Podcasting – Completes Stitcher Deal

    SiriusXM announced that it has completed its acquisition of Stitcher, moving the company deeper into the fast-growing podcasting world.

    The company says that this acquisition of podcasting pioneer Stitcher strengthens SiriusXM’s position in this fast-growing area. “By combining Stitcher’s leading programming and advertising networks with SiriusXM’s existing suite of hosting and ad technology tools, the Company expands its pre-eminent position in digital audio advertising while generating new ways for creators to find and connect with a broader audience,” says a company spokesperson.

    “We are deepening our position in podcasting, the fastest-growing sector in digital audio, and with completion of this transaction, our vision is taking shape,” said SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer. “With Stitcher and its varied assets, we are now a one-stop-shop able to meet the needs of podcast creators, publishers, and advertisers, while also providing listeners with access to great shows, series, and programming.”

    Meyer added, “On behalf of everyone at SiriusXM, we are thrilled to welcome Erik, Sarah, and all of the other talented Stitcher employees to our team. We look forward to working with them as we continue delivering the best listening experiences in audio entertainment and enhancing stockholder value.”

    With the transaction now closed, SiriusXM says it is positioned to continue driving growth by:

    • Reaching more than 150 million listeners across its combined properties, the largest addressable audience in North America across all categories of digital audio – music, sports, talk, and podcasts;
    • Further extending the reach of SiriusXM in digital audio advertising through the SiriusXM and Pandora owned-and-operated digital platforms, combined with the company’s exclusive ad sales arrangement with SoundCloud for the U.S., and the Stitcher and Midroll networks;
    • Helping solve some of the critical challenges in podcast advertising through precision targeting, ad efficiency, and improved measurement capabilities via a streamlined ad marketplace;
    • Combining the largest digital audio salesforce with a leading podcast ad network; and
    • Attracting more creators to its podcasting platform with enhanced production, marketing, and distribution capabilities that drive further listening, engagement, and monetization.
  • SiriusXM and Uber Deploy Slack To Their Employees

    SiriusXM and Uber Deploy Slack To Their Employees

    In its ongoing battle with Microsoft Teams, Slack has scored two major wins as SiriusXM and Uber have both deployed the messaging app to their employees.

    Microsoft Teams recently doubled Slack’s user base, helped by the app’s deep integration with the rest of Office. Slack has maintained, however, that its users are more engaged and shot down concerns that it couldn’t effectively compete with Microsoft. Underscoring Slack’s claims, it has been scoring a number of significant wins, including IBM and now SiriusXM and Uber.

    “Collaboration is key to our success, which is why we decided to use Slack as part of our efforts to bring our employees together,” said Bill Pratt, SVP and CIO at SiriusXM. “We see Slack as an important day-to-day productivity tool for our organization.”

    Similarly, according to tweets by Uber employees, it seems the ride-hailing company made the switch to Slack yesterday.

    Given the size of the messaging market, there’s no reason Teams and Slack can’t both exist with a healthy user base. With Slack’s recent gains, the company obviously is doing well convincing users it is not only viable, but competitive.

  • SiriusXM CEO: Pandora Completely Changes the Game

    SiriusXM CEO: Pandora Completely Changes the Game

    SiriusXM reported record fourth quarter and full-year 2018 operating and financial results today. However, the best is yet to come for SiriusXM as their Pandora acquisition begins to impact the company. “Our combination with Pandora completely changes the game and gives us vastly more scale outside of the car in a way that we think is completely complementary to our existing efforts at SiriusXM,” said SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer.

    Jim Meyer, CEO of SiriusXM, talked during their earnings announcement about their plans for Pandora and how it will lead SiriusXM beyond the car and transform the company in the process:

    Our Combination with Pandora Completely Changes the Game

    We expect the Pandora merger to close Friday. The combined company will reach over 100 million listeners in North America, with nearly 40 million self-paying subscribers and 75 million trailers — trialers and ad-based listeners. The North American audio market is the most influential in the world.

    The suite SiriusXM and Pandora bring to content creators and advertisers is a powerful promotional platform. The Pandora team’s continuing efforts to improve ad tech, add new content and features and to improve usability for both listeners and advertisers provides a solid foundation for Pandora’s future.

    Needless to say, our combination with Pandora completely changes the game and gives us vastly more scale outside of the car in a way that we think is completely complementary to our existing efforts at SiriusXM. Together, the SiriusXM and Pandora brands are uniquely positioned to lead a new era of audio entertainment by delivering the most compelling subscription and ad-supported audio experience to millions of listeners in the car, at home, and on the go. I am incredibly excited by the opportunity in front of us to build a media company that will be competitive for decades to come.

    We plan to close the Pandora transaction on Friday, and we will hit the ground running. I’ve made a decision to immediately consolidate the G&A functions and have the business units report directly to me. My goal is to streamline decision-making, increase the speed of integration and manage the businesses holistically from day one. These things are never easy. And just let me say, I have a ton of respect for Roger Lynch and the masterful job he has done at Pandora over the last 16 months. I want to personally thank him for his contributions.

    Tremendous Opportunities That Combine Our Strengths

    As we move closer to the combination, we are seeing increased opportunities for cost saving. By the end of next year, these cost synergies should exceed a run rate of $50 million per year. But this merger has never been about cost synergies. Let me reiterate my vision here. We see tremendous opportunities to create attractive and unique audio packages that combine our strengths, SiriusXM’s in-vehicle position with Pandora’s strong position out of the vehicle. There are strong prospects for cross-promotion across our combined North American audience.

    Quite simply, I’d like to monetize at some level every single one of the close to 23 million SiriusXM trials we are running annually. Over the next decade, the vast majority of Americans will have experienced one of these trials, and I am thrilled to now have a complete stack of compelling offerings to offer consumers, from paid to free.

    Pandora Brings SiriusXM a Tremendous Amount of Data

    With our massive audience, particularly from the Pandora side, comes a tremendous amount of listener data that will be invaluable as we grow the combined company in the future. Let me give you just one example. Based upon our preliminary research, approximately half the owners of the SiriusXM-enabled vehicle fleet have used Pandora in the past 2 years. This is incredibly powerful.

    Data from Pandora can significantly improve our understanding of these users’ preferences and behaviors when it comes to music listening. This kind of data should help us refine our marketing efforts for retention, conversions, win back as well as our streaming experience for SiriusXM subscribers over time.

    Intends to Capitalize on Cross-Promotion Opportunities

    We also intend to capitalize on cross-promotion opportunities between SiriusXM’s more than 36 million subscribers across North America and Pandora’s approximately 70 million monthly active users. In early February, we will begin a targeted promotion to SiriusXM subscribers and Pandora listeners. Select Pandora listeners will receive an offer to obtain a unique $5 a month mostly news — mostly music or news talk package in their satellite-equipped vehicle.

    SiriusXM subscribers will also receive an extended 14-day trial to Pandora Premium. By midyear, we expect to deliver a new Pandora-powered channel to our SiriusXM app users based upon their favorite artist and a new radio channel, driven by the latest trend from Pandora’s billions of thumbs. This is just the beginning. We expect over time to create new, unique audio packages that will bring together the best of both services, creating a powerful platform for artists to reach their fans and to create new audiences.

    Biggest Challenge at Pandora – Increase Listener Hours

    Without a doubt, the biggest challenge at Pandora is clearly related to active users and, even more importantly, listener hours. This is going to be a tremendous focus for my management team in 2019 and beyond. The biggest opportunity for change here is through improved content and marketing. The launch of Pandora’s slate of podcasts is a great first step, and I’m confident Scott Greenstein and his team will add immediate value here.

    We will also be looking to improve Pandora’s position in-vehicle, and you can bet we will look to continually improve the Pandora user experience and onboarding experience. We have an excellent track record of performance at SiriusXM. We focus on having the right strategy and business plan and then executing that against that plan. Growing Pandora and, more importantly, generating sustained and growing cash flows there will not be easy. But with the combination of SiriusXM and Pandora, we will have tremendous opportunities. And let me remind you that SiriusXM’s track record is second to none in audio entertainment.

    Trust me on one thing: We understand the many new challenges that arise at Pandora. We’re excited to tackle them head-on, but we will in no way lose sight of our core business and the important opportunities for value creation that remain at SiriusXM. Great content is always the core of what we do at SiriusXM.

  • SiriusXM CEO: Pandora to Make Sirius Subscribers More Sticky

    SiriusXM CEO: Pandora to Make Sirius Subscribers More Sticky

    SiriusXM CEO James Meyer says that Pandora will make Sirius subscribers more sticky and will overall reduce churn. Meyer indicates that Pandora’s focus on advertising revenue will also help Sirius monetize the two-thirds of auto sales free trials that don’t convert to a paying SiriusXM subscriber.

    James Meyer, CEO of SiriusXM, discussed the Pandora acquisition on CNBC:

    Pandora to Make Sirius Subscribers More Sticky

    We’re doing a lot of work on the integration of the companies (Pandora into Sirius). I’m more excited about the opportunity of Pandora today even as I dig deeper into it because I see the opportunity and I see it in in two big areas. Number one, I see how it can benefit Sirius and by that I mean our subscribers in terms of improving our value proposition and the ability to take the $5 and $10 music plans.

    In themselves, they are not very profitable, but bundling them in a way to our existing 33.7 million subscribers and giving them a better value, in the end, will make them more sticky and overall reduce churn.

    We Are Not in the Music Business, We Are in the Radio Business

    We’ve been a business that built our business on subscription, 96 percent of our revenue comes from a subscription and 80 to 90 percent of Pandora’s comes from advertising. The ability now to have both across that spectrum I think it’s a really important tool and I’ll tell you why. I think sometimes people get confused, we’re not in the music distribution business, we’re in the radio business. The radio business in the US is about a $24 billion business.

    23 Million Real Trials This Year

    This year alone we’ll run 23 million real trials. We know when you buy, we get your name and address, we speak directly with you during those trials and we’re thrilled if our yield out of those is one-third. The other two-thirds we don’t do anything about. Going forward, we’re going to worry about the third and then we’re going to worry a lot about the two-thirds and how many more of those can we monetize.

    As investors think about our company a couple years from now the question they ought to ask is, quite simply, how many of these trials are coming through and in the end what percent did you monetize them at? In other words, what percent of the third, of the 23 million, are you monetizing and what’s happening to that ARPU (average revenue per user) within that as you’re monetizing them? That’s a story we understand well and then that’s what I’m going to drive.

    The Popularity of Sirius is the Highest It Has Ever Been

    If you fundamentally look at Sirius our listeners love to listen to us in the car. They don’t listen to us as much at home or on mobile devices. If you look at Pandora their listeners love to listen on mobile devices and in the home. The merger can certainly help both sides and Sirius and our OEM relationships can bring a whole lot to driving this business going forward.

    I’ve been guiding for many years that I thought our penetration rate, meaning how many new vehicles would include factory-installed Sirius, would be about 70 percent. I think was about a year and a half ago based on input from the OEMs and obviously consumer demand, we took that up to 75 percent. Today I revised that guidance to 80 percent. I think the popularity of Sirius is the highest it has ever been and I think we have a long long time that we’ll have a great place in the vehicle.

  • SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer: Audio is Thriving Like Never Before

    SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer: Audio is Thriving Like Never Before

    It’s been an eventful quarter for SiriusXM, attaining their highest ever quarter of revenue at $1.47 billion and their highest ever adjusted EBITDA at $589 million.

    In the earning call SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer talked about adding 300,000 net new self-pay subs in the third quarter, Amazon partnership, Pandora Acquisition, Connected Vehicle initiatives paying off, and how it’s going with Automatic Labs, which they acquired last year.

    SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer opening statement during 2018 Q3 Earnings Call:

    Thrilled With Third Quarter Results

    I can’t think of a more exciting time for all of us at SiriusXM and I’m thrilled with the results we were able to deliver in the third quarter.

    With this momentum, I’m once again pleased to increase our guidance for 2018 subscribers, revenue and EBITDA growth. We are driving more subscribers through a bigger enabled fleet and maintaining our strong content lineup as you would expect us, both of which position the company for tremendous future success.

    But we’re going even further with our proposed acquisition of Pandora Media, our investments in 360L, our next-generation in-vehicle platform and our vastly expanded push to drive engagement outside of the car with better streaming apps, including our new marketing agreement with Amazon.

    Added 300,000 Net New Self-Pay Subscribers

    SiriusXM added about 300,000 net new self-pay subs in the third quarter, similar to the level we attained in last year’s third quarter. We overcame the headwind inherent to a bigger base by achieving one of our lowest ever churn rates for any third quarter and our self-pay base now stands at 28.5 million subscribers with total paid subscribers reaching 33.7 million.

    I’m thrilled we attained our highest ever quarter of revenue at $1.47 billion, our highest ever adjusted EBITDA at $589 million and our highest ever EBITDA margin, reaching 40% for the first time. We attained this margin by coupling strong revenue growth with equally impressive expense management.

    Auto sales continued at a high level in the third quarter, with a SAAR of about 16.9 million and I’m hearing in my conversations with the OEMs, they expect solid numbers to finish out this year. Our OEM relationships remain strong. Since the start of the third quarter alone, we extended agreements with Audi, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo. As you might expect, with these OEMs and others, we are planning the future of our service in their vehicles well into the 2020s.

    We are receiving higher penetration commitments at some OEMs, more firm 360L deployment schedules and in some cases, improved financial terms. Car buyers love SiriusXM and OEMs have recognized this by agreeing to prominently place us in the dash for many years to come.

    Next year, we will make meaningful progress on additional 360L rollouts as we cycle into the 2020 model year. We prefer to let our OEM friends make their own announcements and I expect they will be doing that as we approach these higher deployments in the back half of 2020.

    Making Tangible Progress with Connected Vehicle Services

    A few years ago when SiriusXM began to invest in the connected vehicle services business, I told you it would be a marathon, not a sprint. And now, you can see us making tangible progress in ramping our CV services unit, which provides safety, security and convenience features to consumers at 12 different automotive brands. We are now achieving strong double-digit revenue growth here and seeing positive cash flow contributions from this business.

    Several OEMs, including Fiat Chrysler, Nissan, and Toyota, are ramping penetration of our CV services in their vehicles and we can’t be more thrilled at how this long-term investment is now paying off. This is yet another way that we also remain important to OEMs as they assess their entertainment and connectivity ecosystems.

    At Automatic Labs, which we acquired last year, we have an aftermarket solution to enable smart services in almost any car on the road. And here, we are also following a very deliberate strategy. Automatic recently launched a new Dealer Program to significantly grow our distribution and it’s already live at several pilot dealerships. This program enables dealers to offer car buyers three years of free crash alert and connected main services as well as free premium services like roadside assistance for six months.

    We expect dealers will recognize the opportunity to improve their long-term relationships with their customers and hopefully encourage repeat buyers. I’ve always been a student in the importance of a good distribution model. For years, the OEM market has served SiriusXM extremely well, first in the new channel, then in the used and significant growth opportunities still exist for us with the OEMs. But with the ubiquity of smartphones and the growing population of connected devices like smart speakers, enormous new opportunities to consume audio are being created.

    Audio is Thriving Like Never Before

    Audio is thriving like never before. This has created opportunities for many new businesses to flourish and for existing businesses like ours to evolve and grow in new directions. And let me reiterate, this is not a zero-sum game. The entire pie of audio consumption is actually growing. Clearly, we remain focused on extending our winning position in the vehicle, but we are also following through on our efforts to drive engagement and subscribers out of the car as well.

    When SiriusXM’s existing subscribers use our service elsewhere, it’s bound to increase the value proposition and make our relationship stickier. And by deploying our unmatched content lineup across improved apps and ever more connected devices, we now have an opportunity to grow with customers who may want a subscription that isn’t tied to a vehicle.

    There’s More to Come Between SiriusXM and Amazon

    In June 2017, we first launched the SiriusXM Alexa skill set to enable our service on Amazon’s Echo devices. It’s clear to me that audio on these smart speakers just clicks. It works beautifully. We immediately found traction with hundreds of thousands of our subscribers rushing to use the service on Amazon’s devices via the easy-to-use Alexa’s voice interface.

    As we began to contemplate a further push out of the car, part of our Bring Us Home campaign, we knew that collaborating with a skilled distributor like Amazon could drive a significant lift to our service outside of the car. And Amazon knows that diverse audio program is probably the biggest value driver today in the smart speaker universe.

    Last week, we announced a new promotion that allows existing Echo owners to easily obtain a free trial of SiriusXM. We are also bundling a free third-generation Echo Dot with six months or greater service commitments to our streaming-only or All Access plans. We are thrilled to be working with a dynamic company like Amazon. And importantly, we’re not just present on their platform, but actively cooperating with them to cross-promote and market to their base.

    I’ve always said I just want people to listen to our service wherever they want, however they want and it has to be easy. There’s more to come between SiriusXM and Amazon as we think of additional ways to extend this relationship. So, stay tuned.

    Creating the Best Audio Programming Available

    All of these efforts in technology and distribution would be for naught without our creative team, all of whom who work tirelessly for our subscribers, casting a wide net to capture and create the best audio programming available. We continue to launch specially created music channels from major artists that have proven to be a hit with our listeners such as Dave Matthews Band Radio. We presented fiery live performances just for subscribers like The Killers in the Hamptons, curated a special channel all summer long from The Beach Boys and then topped it off by reuniting them for the first time in years for a Town Hall in Hollywood.

    We’ve added provocative talent in talk and sports with a daily show from CNN’s Chris Cuomo, where callers can reach him directly, a new show from Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, the return of Brett Favre’s very popular show on our NFL channel and we’ve added a new program highlighting women in sports.

    And while we know that sports fans love us, we work harder than ever to get them closer to the teams they follow. For that, we have just launched two exclusive sports channels, SiriusXM Big Ten Radio, and SiriusXM Big 12 Radio, that will deliver fans and alumni across the country in-depth access to Big Ten and Big 12 focus sports, talk and news plus extensive live game coverage.

    These channels join SiriusXM’s unparalleled lineup of college sports programming, which now features the all-college sports channel, ESPNU Radio, plus 24/7 channels focused on each of the Power Five athletic conferences, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC. Quite honestly, with the result – with the recent addition of these conference channels, we dominate college sports coverage.

    A Business That is Humming Along and Throws Off Cash

    SiriusXM clearly has a great collection of content to match its excellence business model. The company’s high monetization and high variable margins let us make more and more cash flow as we grow bigger. This is a business that is humming along and it throws off cash in a highly predictable way that investors love and we continue to give that cash back to stockholders, $334 million of share repurchases in the third quarter plus nearly $50 million of dividends because after all, it’s your money.

    Let me be crystal clear about this. Nothing is changing in our capacity or our commitment to continue making significant capital returns to our stockholders for years to come, but we’re also investing in future platforms, hiring talented data scientists and software developers and constantly seeking out new content our subscribers will love. All this we do and we’ll keep doing.

    Goal is to Link Non-Converting Customers Back to Pandora

    This quarter, I’m pleased we were able to make a much bigger step towards setting the future path of our company with our proposed acquisition of Pandora Media. Over the years, Pandora has built a huge user base of approximately 70 million Americans and scaled $1-billion-plus advertising business.

    Over the past year, Roger Lynch and his team have taken important steps, so that Pandora’s business will thrive in the future. By sitting on the board for the past year, we’ve learned a tremendous amount about Pandora’s business and we have concluded we can do many things better together versus apart. Number one is the ability to cross-promote across the two platforms that could come from sharing of listening data and contact data.

    In addition, at SiriusXM, we are running about 23 million trials in new and used cars this year. And the truth is the flip side of our conversion statistics will tell you that most people don’t want to pay for radio at the end of the day. I feel there is a strong opportunity if we can link non-converters back to a Pandora or maybe a Pandora with a bit more content in a way that makes our combined business bigger, better and more profitable. There are many ways we believe that one plus one will exceed two very quickly and we plan to give you additional color on that over the next few months.

    Last Thursday, we filed for Hart-Scott approval of the Pandora acquisition. This morning, the go-shop period of our deal with Pandora expired uneventfully. We’re planning to get together and sharpen our pencils on our integration plan very soon. We and Pandora expect to file our S-4, which includes the proxy statement and prospectus with the SEC in the next few days as Pandora moves towards a stockholder vote later this year. We continue to expect to close in the first quarter.

    Last week, while I was out in Oakland for a Pandora board meeting, I had the privilege of speaking with a large group of Pandora’s talented employees. It was fantastic to talk about our shared future, what we can do with all of our financial resources, vast troves of data, unmatched content, enormous user bases and some of the most talented people in radio and technology. I am confident that together, these two companies will be even stronger.

    In the meantime, it’s full speed ahead at SiriusXM with a laser focus on reaching or exceeding our new higher 2018 guidance, exactly as you would hope and expect.

  • Pandora Co-Founder: Apple, Amazon, Google is Going to Rue the Day They Let Pandora Get Away

    Pandora Co-Founder: Apple, Amazon, Google is Going to Rue the Day They Let Pandora Get Away

    Tim Westergren, Co-founder, and former Pandora CEO commented on CNBC’s Fortt Knox show:

    Part of what makes Pandora so valuable as an entity is the amount of data that it collects. There’s no service as engaging as Pandora that elicits so much feedback from listeners and the information you are gleaning right now is being leveraged to build an efficient advertising business.

    I think that Apple, Amazon, Google is going to rue the day they let Pandora get away from them. I think that this company can be the cornerstone of a global play in music unlike any other. Pandora grew to almost 100 million registered listeners in the US also with barely a dime of marketing. It was an utterly viral phenomenon. I witnessed first hand the passion of that connection with Pandora and it’s listeners. I used to do town halls across the country meeting people in person and I saw what was going on with listeners and Pandora.

    I think anybody who witnessed that would understand how vast the potential is. I hope that this combination (SiriusXM Acquisition) can realize it, but this company could do an awful lot in the hands of a global partner the likes of Apple, Google, etc…

  • Jenny McCarthy: Moving On To SiriusXM Radio Show

    Jenny McCarthy: Moving On To SiriusXM Radio Show

    Jenny McCarthy won’t be on The View next season, but the hilarious comedienne will be claiming a seat behind the mic on a new SiriusXM radio show called Dirty Sexy Funny with Jenny McCarthy.

    “It’s no secret that I love to talk. I’m excited to do it on SiriusXM without having to interrupt anyone or keep things clean. You can bet your sweet ass this show will live up to its title.”

    So what will Jenny McCarthy be dishing about? Well, parenting, dating, sex, and all the other things that the single mom has become an expert on. Even her fiance, Donnie Wahlberg, won’t be off limits.

    This could get very interesting.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS42VQlMHas

    Jenny McCarthy made the big announcement on radio icon Howard Stern’s show on Monday.

    But, even though Jenny McCarthy has a new job, that doesn’t mean she won’t be checking in with the girls on The View! She says she is excited to watch her replacement, Rosie O’Donnell, stir things up on the show.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPl-7BdZonk

    “I have been a big fan of hers forever…I knew they were looking to bring some heat to the table and there is no doubt that with Rosie there will be some heat. They are definitely going in the direction of fire.”

    Yes, Rosie should have no trouble bringing a little fire to the table. So, who will be bringing some flavor to Jenny McCarthy’s new show?

    Many of the women that perform with Jenny McCarthy on her live comedy tour, Dirty Sexy Funny With Jenny McCarthy & Friends, will be joining her on air, as well as stars like talk princess Chelsea Handler and Donnie Wahlberg.

    “I am not holding back anything.” Jenny McCarthy told Howard Stern.

    Good luck to Jenny McCarthy on her new show!

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Joel Osteen ‘Sirius’ About His Ministry

    Joel Osteen ‘Sirius’ About His Ministry

    Joel Osteen has long been serious about his ministry, and now he is ‘Sirius’ about it, too. The pastor of the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas–the largest Protestant church in the United States–now has his own SiriusXM channel to help him spread his messages.

    Osteen preaches to an average of 40,000 people every week at the megachurch and his sermons are already broadcast on the Trinity television network. This will give the 51-year-old pastor even more connections to those unable to see him preach in person.

    This coming Sunday Joel Osteen and his wife Victoria are set to appear at Yankee Stadium in New York where Joel will preach to a huge crowd as part of his ‘A Night of Hope’ annual event. This will be recorded for broadcast later on his new SiriusXM channel.

    Post by Joel Osteen Ministries.

    “It’s another way to get our message out,” the pastor says.

    He also said SiriusXM approached him about developing his own channel about five years ago with the idea but the time wasn’t right.

    “Five years ago we were still growing,” said Osteen, who studied both television and radio as part of his education at Oral Roberts University. “I didn’t think we could put the time and energy into it that we can now. We’re much more established and have a bigger library. It feels really right now.”

    The channel will feature a time for live call-ins, too. Joel Osteen says he is thinking about taking those calls on Tuesday mornings. SiriusXM will announce soon when the station will begin operation. This new means of connecting to more people will no doubt further Osteen’s ministry.

    Scott Greenstein is the president of SiriusXM. He believes people who aren’t inclined to watch one of Joel’s television broadcasts might check him out on their car radio. He claims he was attracted to Osteen because he’s a charismatic preacher with a wide following as well as a back catalog of material perfect for programming purposes.

    Joel Osteen took over Lakewood Church when his father–who was minister there at the time–passed away. He has grown the ministry considerably. This collaboration with SiriusXM means it will likely grow even larger.

    Image via YouTube

  • Joel Osteen To Bring His Message To SiriusXM Subscribers This Fall

    Joel Osteen To Bring His Message To SiriusXM Subscribers This Fall

    Joel Osteen is one of the most famous evangelical Christians in America today. His books often top the New York Times bestsellers list for several weeks and many people have found inspiration in his words. Now SiriusXM subscribers will be able to experience all Osteen has to offer and then some with a new radio station.

    SiriusXM and Joel Osteen announced today that they will be jointly launching “Joel Osteen Radio” in the Fall. The station will be host to his weekly Sunday sermons as well as reruns of his most popular sermons from the past. Listeners will also have a chance to call in every week to a live show hosted by Osteen and his wife, Victoria.

    “Victoria and I are excited about this new venture with SiriusXM,” Osteen said. “We are humbled and appreciative to bring our message to the millions of SiriusXM listeners every day – and equally excited to get to know them personally through our call-in radio programs. We truly cannot wait to get started!”

    While the station may not start until this Fall, SiriusXM is hitting the ground running with its new partnership. On June 7, the SiriusXM Stars station will broadcast Osteen’s “Night of Hope” sermon from New York live starting at 7 p.m. The event promises “timely inspiration for our nation through worship, music, and a positive message about moving forward and realizing great things in life.”

    “Millions of people are drawn to Joel Osteen’s words and uplifting message every week,” said Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s President and Chief Content Officer. “We’re honored to work with Joel and Victoria to create a new SiriusXM channel that will give people around the country access to the Osteens in a way that has never been done before. With their weekly call-in shows and Joel’s positive message and spirit, Joel Osteen Radio will be both interactive and inspiring.”

    It’s unknown if the new station will impact Osteen’s current outreach through podcasts and traditional radio. It’s unlikely, but we’ll learn more about the station in the coming months.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Howard Stern Turns 60 in NYC With Sirius Bash

    Howard Stern Turns 60 in NYC With Sirius Bash

    Howard Stern, everyone’s favorite radio host, celebrated his 60th birthday yesterday with a slew of friends and celebrities at a party hosted by SiriusXM.

    “Howard Stern’s Birthday Bash,” presented by Sirius, was held Friday night at NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom.

    Sirius also used the opportunity to host a special four-hour radio show live from the event.

    Hundreds of Stern’s friends and fellow celebs were present to see Stern turn 60, including his model wife, 41-year-old Beth Ostrosky Stern.

    Tons of famous figures walked the red carpet at the Hammerstein before entering the blinged-out ballroom.

    Some of the guests who made the list included Girls creator Lena Dunham, television personalities David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmell, Jon Bon Jovi, actor-couple Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy, comedienne Whitney Cummings, Rosie O’Donnell, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Maroon 5’s Adam Levine was also at the party as a guest, as well as a performer.

    One other sunny face was also in attendance: Patricia “Tan Mom” Krentcil.

    According to USA Today, as they talked to actor David Spade, who was in the midst of questioning just why “Tan Mom” was there, the sunkissed Krentcil pulled up her black dress and gave Stern a second-floor view of her bikini bottoms, yelling to another guest, “Don’t judge me, you motherf*****!”

    Jimmy Kimmell was the host of the night, appearing on the stage next to a desk where Stern and his longtime radio co-host, Robin Quivers, sat to observe the party.

    Kimmell took the opportunity to “roast” Stern somewhat, telling the audience, “Howard Stern did to radio what Picasso did to visual art. He was the first. He is the best. And, we know exactly how long this man’s penis is! He is the most self-absorbed person on the planet and we can’t get enough of him.”

    The radio show/party host, Kimmell, also described the uniqueness of the crowd, telling attendees to note their fellow guests in attendance and, “…look around the room at the variety of people [here]. Drunks, whores, stock brokers, stutterers, Oscar-winners, retarded people…”

    When asked how he felt about turning 60, Stern replied, “I’m sort of in denial, I kind of go, ‘Wow, I don’t look 60, I look good! And then I see a picture of myself and go, Uhhh. But I feel good. I’ve been working out a bit.’”

    Friend and co-host, Robin Quivers, said that Stern has a “six-pack now,” and wife Beth Ostrosky Stern related that the star has lost “30 pounds in the last six months.”

    According to Howard, though, a fear of “getting old” isn’t what prompted his weight loss, but rather, that he was “getting a little too heavy” and had to “…nip it in the bud.”

    Stern says that he was “overwhelmed” by the huge party and the many people that showed up.

    The Howard Stern Show on SiriusXM is scheduled to end in 2015 when Stern’s contract is up; when asked if he is ready to retire, however, the radio mogul says, “I’m having the best time broadcasting with SiriusXM. That’s true. No hype. We have a great studio. No FCC. So if it continues to be this good, why not keep going for as long as I can?”

    Main image via @BethStern via Twitter.

  • SiriusXM’s MySXM Lets You Personalize Channels

    SiriusXM’s MySXM Lets You Personalize Channels

    SiriusXM announced the launch of a new personalization feature called MySXM, which enables users to personalize over 50 its channels by creating up to over 100 variations of each.

    Channels that take advantage of the MySXM feature let users adjust sliders to impact library depth, familiarity, music style, tempo, region, and over attributes. Eventually, more channels will get the feature.

    SiriusXM President and Chief Content Officer, Scott Greenstein, says, “MySXM is a personalization feature built to enhance our already well-loved curated commercial-free music and comedy channels and make an already amazing listening experience even more personal. Our experts set the stage giving you the tools to make the channel your own. You decide how involved you want to get and where you want to take your channel.”

    The idea is that you will hear more of the stuff you like and less of the stuff you don’t.

    MySXM is a free feature for subscribers, and is included on the iOS and Android apps.

  • SiriusXM Subscribers Can Now Access Content On Demand

    SiriusXM Subscribers Can Now Access Content On Demand

    SiriusXM is making a huge move to allow their subscribers access to programming at their convenience. Today, the company announced SiriusXM On Demand for web and iOS.

    With SiriusXM On Demand, subscribers immediately get access to over 200 shows, or 2,000 hours of programming that they can listen to anytime they want. On Demand content will be updated daily, and the back catalog of content will continue to expand, says Sirius.

    “On Demand access to SiriusXM programming broadens the availability of our exclusive content, allowing subscribers to enjoy their favorite shows and try new shows on their own time so they never miss a minute of the programming they love,” said Bob Law, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Streaming Services and Products. “SiriusXM produces great original content, and we are thrilled we can now make so much of it available on our listeners’ schedules through SiriusXM On Demand.”

    Another part of the new on demand service is “Featured Content,” which Sirius says will help people discover new shows and seasonal content.

    Along with the 2,000 hours of show and music, Sirius is also opening up the archives to subscribers. Here’s some of the content that will be on demand:

    The Howard Stern Show, Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour, Tom Petty’s Buried Treasure, select Jimmy Buffett concerts, The Opie & Anthony Show, The Jamie Foxx Show, Ask Martha featuring Martha Stewart, Dr. Laura, The Bob Edwards Show, Mad Dog Unleashed featuring Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo, Ripken Baseball, Rotten Tomatoes™ Radio and many more.

    SiriusXM listeners will also have access to curated selections from deep within the SiriusXM archives, including SiriusXM’s exclusive Artist Confidential series and Town Hall specials with Bruce Springsteen, Roger Waters, Tom Petty, Usher, Ringo Starr, Coldplay, Nirvana, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Coach K, and many others. In addition, listeners will get access to exclusive subscriber events, music specials, interviews from across SiriusXM’s sports channels, and much more.

    For now, Sirius’ new On Demand service is only available on their web player and iOS devices. They say that Android compatibility is coming soon.

  • Robin Quivers of the Howard Stern Show May Have Cancer

    Robin Quivers of the Howard Stern Show May Have Cancer

    Robin Quivers, the co-host of the Howard Stern Show, announced on air this morning that she may have cancer. She has an appointment today with a specialist to determine if a growth she has pressing on her bladder is cancerous or not.

    Over the weekend while travelling she came to the realization that while she had the urge to urinate, her body wasn’t releasing any fluids. She frantically went to an Urgent Treatment location hoping to gain quick relief. They inserted a catheter which involves a tube connecting to the bladder and a plastic bag holding the urine attached to her leg. She then went to a local hospital where they conducted a CAT scan of her abdominal area. The radiologist found a grapefruit sized growth pressing on her bladder causing a complete blockage and making urination impossible. Remarkably she was on SiriusXM radio live with Howard Stern at 6 AM today.

    Quivers was in good spirits and even related her own TSA horror story. On the way back to New York she walked through the security scanners causing the alarm to go off. During a special screening she had to tell the female TSA agent that she had a colostomy bag attached to her leg.

    Stern joked that he would quit Sirius if Robin dies! He also did a humorous impression of his parents on their reaction of possibly listening to the live broadcast and hearing that Robin might have cancer. He mimicked his father saying, “What…. Robin has cancer!

  • SiriusXM App For Android Updated With 5 Hour Replay

    SiriusXM App For Android Updated With 5 Hour Replay

    Sirius XM Radio announced today that a free update to their SiriusXM Android app has been released. The company claims the new app, which can now be downloaded in the Google Play app marketplace, will give subscribers to their service more control over how to listen to SiriusXM content.

    “This updated and enhanced SiriusXM Internet Radio App for Android, the top smartphone platform in the U.S., now gives current and future subscribers access to more programming, including more live sports play-by-play, and more control over when and where they listen to their favorite SiriusXM channels and programs,” said Jim Meyer, President of Operations and Sales at SiriusXM. “We are pleased to bring these new and exciting features to our subscribers, and we will continue to evolve our SiriusXM Internet Radio offerings this year by adding greater functionality on smartphones, mobile devices and online.”

    The biggest change in this update is “Start Now” which allows subscribers to select and listen to content previously broadcast on many channels, up to 5 hours in the past. “Tune Start” will now automatically start a song from its beginning when tuning in to a station, and the app now allows users to pause live radio, replay a song or segment, and skip forward. In addition, the app now includes a “Show Finder,” which is a programming guide that offers a complete list of programming up to a week ahead. Users can set reminder alerts for themselves using the “Show Finder.”

    SiriusXM claims the update, which includes a design overhaul for the app, is part of the rollout of what they are calling SiriusXM 2.0, a service they hope will span “hardware, software, audio, and data services.” It is interesting to see companies whose business models have become outdated adapt to changing technologies. With satellite radio all but defunct, SiriusXM will have to compete with online radio models such as Pandora and Spotify, and these features seem to be a step in the right direction. Even so, to stand a chance the company will have to keep Howard Stern happy.

    What do you think? Is SiriusXM on the right track to remain competitive? Should the company abandon its subscription model altogether? Leave a comment below and let me know.

  • SiriusXM Partners with MLB.com

    SiriusXM Partners with MLB.com

    SiriusXM has just signed a multi-year contract with MLB Advanced Media to stream all Major League Baseball games. SiriusXM subscribers can access live streaming broadcasts of every MLB game on mobile devices and online, and games will continue to be broadcast on XM satellite radios. Subscribers will have access to all regular season games, the All-Star Game and all Postseason games.

    With this new agreement, SiriusXM becomes the Official Internet Radio Partner of MLB.com and MLB Advanced Media, L.P. (MLBAM), the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball.

    The broadcast of Spring Training games will be available starting next season, and selected broadcasts in spanish are also included. As for extablished XM Radio subscribers, channel assignments and game times can be found on the XM’s MLB schedule page.

    Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s President and Chief Content Officer, states, “We’re thrilled to be able to deliver every MLB game to all of our SiriusXM subscribers. Throughout the sport’s history, fans have connected with America’s pastime through radio calls. With those broadcasts now available on SiriusXM Internet Radio, coupled with the satellite radio broadcasts on XM, SiriusXM subscribers across the country have the most extensive audio listening experience with which to follow any MLB team from their cars, homes or anywhere.”

    Kenny Gersh, Senior Vice President, Business Development, MLBAM, goes on to say, “SiriusXM has been a valuable partner in connecting its subscribers with the tradition of baseball on the radio and this agreement adds an important distribution platform, alongside our own products including Gameday Audio and At Bat, for fans to enjoy listening to the radio broadcasts of Major League Baseball games via the Internet.”

    Sirius XM had also offered broadcasts of every game of the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, which culminated in Kentucky’s win of the national championship, leading to various other occurrences surrounding Lexington, KY.

  • Listen To The Super Bowl In 10 Languages Through SiriusXM

    Listen To The Super Bowl In 10 Languages Through SiriusXM

    In the push to make the Super Bowl (and American Football in general) even more of an international force, making it accessible in multiple language doesn’t hurt. And that’s just what the NFL’s official satellite radio partner is going to do.

    SiriusXM has announced a ton of new programming for Super Bowl week – including 13 different broadcasts of the big game, available in 10 different languages.

    Subscribers will have access to the national broadcast as well as both the Patriots and Giant-specific broadcasts (for those who like a little slant in their coverage). Alongside those three English broadcasts, the game can also be heard in Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, German, Hungarian, Portuguese, Russian, Dutch, and French. Here’s a schedule of channels:

    New England Patriots broadcast – Sirius 86 / XM 226 / Online 879
    New York Giants broadcast – Sirius 92 / XM 225 / Online 881
    National radio broadcast – Sirius 88 / XM 88 / Online 88
    Spanish broadcast – Sirius 149 / XM 234 / Online 870
    BBC Radio broadcast – Sirius 93 / XM 227 / Online 861
    Chinese broadcast – Sirius 139 / XM 231 / Online 866
    Japanese broadcast – Sirius 94 / XM 228 / Online 862
    German broadcast – Sirius 138 / XM 233 / Online 865
    Hungarian broadcast – Sirius 113 / XM 235 / Online 869
    Portuguese broadcast – Sirius 137 / XM 230 / Online 864
    Russian broadcast – Sirius 117 / XM 236 / Online 868
    Dutch broadcast – Sirius 134 / XM 229 / Online 863
    French broadcast – Sirius 136 / XM 232 / Online 867

    If your subscription also includes SiriusXM Internet radio access, you can listen to the game online and via the Internet Radio app.

    All of the multi-language big game coverage is also being supplemented by exclusive radio broadcasts all-through the week leading up to Sunday. Starting Monday, January 30th, SiriusXM will broadcast interviews and discussion from Radio Row in Indianapolis. Here’s their list of special shows taking place during the week and the time and place that you can listen to them:

    Rosie O’Donnell will host a special edition of SiriusXM’s Rosie Radio, featuring celebrity guests, live from Radio Row in Indianapolis on Friday from 12:00 to 2:00 pm ET on SiriusXM Stars (channel 107).

    SiriusXM’s Christopher ‘Mad Dog’ Russo will be in Indianapolis all week to host his daily show, Mad Dog Unleashed, live from Radio Row from 2:00 to 7:00 pm ET. The show is the anchor program for SiriusXM’s all-sports talk channel, Mad Dog Radio (channel 86).

    Mad Dog Radio’s Dino Costa will host The Dino Costa Show live from 7:00 to 11:00pm ET from multiple locations around Indianapolis throughout the week including Radio Row (Mon.), Nicky Blaine’s Cocktail Lounge (Tue.), the NFL Experience (Wed.), Buffalo Wild Wings (Thurs.), and the High Velocity Bar at the JW Marriott (Fri.). Costa will also host live from Radio Row on Saturday from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm ET.

    Evan Cohen, of Mad Dog Radio’s Evan & Phillips in the Morning, will host the show from Radio Row on Thursday and Friday from 6:00 to 10:00 am ET.

    Comedian Larry the Cable Guy will be featured on a Blue Collar Radio special airing live from Radio Row on Wednesday from 2:00 to 3:00 pm ET (channel 97).

    Sway Calloway will host Sway in the Morning, his live weekday show on Eminem’s Shade 45 channel, live from Radio Row on Thursday and Friday at 8:00 am ET (channel 45).

    On Thursday, Jacksonville Jaguars Pro Bowl running back Maurice Jones-Drew will be on Radio Row to host his SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio show, Runnin’ with MJD, live from 4:00 to 6:00 pm ET (channel 87 on XM and channel 210 on Sirius Premier).

    Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton will host a special broadcast from Radio Row on Friday at 3:00 pm ET. The show will air on SiriusXM Stars Too (channel 104) on Friday at 10:00 pm, Saturday at 2:00 pm and Sunday at 8:00 am ET.

    SiriusXM’s Covino & Rich, hosted by Steve Covino and Rich Davis on SiriusXM Stars Too (channel 104, weekdays at 11:00 am ET), will broadcast from spots around Indianapolis, including the Maxim Party and Radio Row.
    Additionally, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, SiriusXM listeners can tune in for regular traffic and weather reports for the Indianapolis area on SiriusXM channel 145.

    Apparently, people really want the guidance of commentary (as well as the spectacle of the whole production). One study found that football fans would actually prefer to watch the Super Bowl on TV as opposed to live. It’s doubtful that same sentiment would also translate to radio but if you don’t speak English, these channels will be a great way to enjoy what’s sure to be a great game.