Introducing SiriusXM Play: Where Your Ads Meet Popular Music

In-car listening—and advertising—aren’t going anywhere, and we have our foot on the gas. It’s why we’re launching SiriusXM Play, our first low-cost, ad-supported subscription plan. SiriusXM Play gives listeners access to over 130 channels with limited ads in-car and even more streaming to discover in the app, delivering a compelling subset of our signature premium, curated music, talk, and sports programming at an exceptional value.

Now, marketers have the opportunity to reach consumers within SiriusXM’s unparalleled music channels, giving advertisers a one-of-a-kind platform to meaningfully connect in the car and out with listeners across North America, in addition to our talk, sports, and entertainment programming ad inventory.

More than half of Americans have listened to digital audio in-car in the last month, and younger drivers are increasingly choosing digital audio over AM/FM on the road. Digital audio continues to reign supreme, and this new subscription plan adds yet another advantage. SiriusXM Play offers content that has something for everyone—from music, to sports, to talk and entertainment—with about half the ad load of AM/FM at launch. 

Fasten your seatbelt, and learn what the new SiriusXM Play subscription tier means for your future ads and campaigns. 

Brands, Meet SiriusXM Play 

At SiriusXM, the innovation never stops. And for the first time, we’re opening our SiriusXM music inventory to advertisers. 

What It Is 

SiriusXM Play is our new ad-supported tier. Listeners will have access to over 130 music, sports, talk, comedy, and entertainment channels with limited ads at a lower price. We know that consumers are multi-faceted, listening to an average of almost seven music genres. SiriusXM Play will offer fan-favorite music channels that longtime listeners have come to know and love across a variety of genres, including: 

• 90s on 90

• Pop2K

• Classic Rewind

• Octane

• Hip Hop Nation

• The Heat

• FLY

• Y2Kountry  

Whether your brand can get its point across in :30s or :60s, you can run across all our eligible Play channels. Looking to exclude certain channels? That’s possible, too. Our new tier doesn’t start and end with music, either. Whether your target listener is obsessed with pop culture, current events, or the NFL, here’s what else will be included as Play rolls out—including access to talk channels:

• Sports: Mad Dog Sports Radio, College Sports Radio, Fantasy Sports Radio, and more

• News: POTUS, Patriot, Progress, and more

• Talk + Entertainment: Radio Andy, Conan O’Brien Radio, TODAY Show Radio, and more

• Comedy: Kevin Hart’s LOL Radio, Comedy Central Radio, Jeff & Larry’s Comedy Roundup, and more

See the available music and talk channels here. While music continues to be the leading form of daily audio content for people 13 and up (74%), talk-based content is on the rise, having increased by +13% since 2019. With US consumers’ listening preferences increasingly diversifying, brands should ditch the one-size-fits-all approach and follow suit. 

Who It’s For 

Want to be one of the first to access premium music inventory? This is where SiriusXM Play comes in. If your brand doesn’t require frequent creative changes, this plan gets the job done. Targeting budget-conscious consumers? This tier also fills the bill. 

What This Means for Your Brand

If you’re already advertising on SiriusXM, investing in Play means future incremental reach as this new subscription tier ramps up. With inventory being sold through existing broadcast workflows, it’s easier than ever to plug into current plans. 

And if you’re new here? SiriusXM Play offers about half the ad load of traditional AM/FM radio at launch, which means fewer interruptions and an engaged, leaned-in consumer in an intimate environment with few distractions, like the car (and everywhere else). 

Ad-Supported Music Is Here to Stay

The subscription landscape is changing, and ad-supported tiers are on the rise. When it comes to TV streaming services, almost half of subscribers of Disney Plus, Netflix, HBO Max, and more, are paying for ad-supported plans. Additionally, 75% have tried them at least once. This shifting subscriber behavior isn’t just for streaming TV but digital audio, too. 

Thanks to digital audio, music is as accessible as ever. And no matter a listener’s mood, activity, time, or place, there’s music to perfectly match it. Brands don’t need a calculator for this equation—with ad-supported music, you can reach audiences anywhere, everywhere, and anytime. 

Follow These Best Practices for SiriusXM Brand Spots

Advertising on SiriusXM is a different ballpark than advertising on streaming audio or podcasts. To capture attention and drive action in the SiriusXM listening environment, prioritize the script and voiceover, and let the sound or music set the mood. To set yourself up for success, keep these tips in mind. 

Be Entertaining 

Whether your listener is embarking on a road trip, commuting, or running errands, your ad is another form of entertainment while they’re behind the wheel. Make it count by creating an engaging concept that reels them in. From there, highlight your voiceover-led storytelling and make it pop with sound effects and music. You want your ad to end by leaving listeners with an emotional response, from curiosity to nostalgia, boosting memorability. 

Be Distinct 

Stand out among the many ads a listener is bound to hear in one day. Mention your brand name early and often to boost brand familiarity and awareness. Then, pair your brand name with sonic assets, including a sonic logo or music, and keep these elements consistent across media channels. 

Be Persuasive

To persuade your audience to take action, prioritize your voiceover. Have it focus on one (or a few) key messages and make it compelling while authentic. End the ad with a clear CTA that’s not only brief but relevant to the consumer journey. 

Looking Ahead—Here’s What’s Next

Keep an eye on the horizon for all to come with SiriusXM Play. Coming up, we’ll be exploring new ad formats and talent integration opportunities. And while measurement isn’t immediately available, be on the lookout for these capabilities next year—in addition to enhanced targeting, dynamic ad insertion, creative channel takeover packages, and more across SiriusXM’s ad inventory in 360L-enabled vehicles. 

Ultimately, advertisers will be able to seamlessly buy across all of our touchpoints—satellite broadcast (featuring SiriusXM’s talk and sports programming in addition to the new ad-supported SiriusXM Play music channels), streaming (inclusive of Pandora, SoundCloud, and more), and the SiriusXM Podcast Network—with one unified transaction, tapping into powerful audiences at scale in audio. 

Sky’s the Limit with SiriusXM Media

SiriusXM Media is the largest digital audio advertising ecosystem in North America, with 160M monthly listeners and counting. And our new tier is a win-win for advertisers and listeners alike. Our subscription makes listeners’ favorite music even more accessible while brands can get in the ears of consumers wherever they are, on the road or off. 

Ready to press (SiriusXM) Play? Let’s chat.

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