Quarterly Rewind: Buzzworthy News Advertisers Need to Know

When you’re building the largest audio empire, a lot happens in a quarter. Things like Rotten Mango becoming the #1 podcast on YouTube. Yep, that happened. Or Trevor Noah inking a deal with us for his What Now? podcast. Sorry, not sorry. Or Pandora seeing a surge in station adds and spins for top artists during festival season.

We are constantly working to make sure our advertisers have access to the most premium content, largest scale, and efficient processes. And we don’t have to tell you that advertising is all about audiences—reaching the right consumers, at opportune moments, while they’re consuming engaging content that makes them feel happy, motivated, inspired, curious, powerful… and open to hearing from your brand.

As you just saw, we’re constantly transforming the digital audio landscape to help advertisers connect with target audiences when they're fueling their passions. We’ve dropped major announcements, been recognized with industry awards, and engaged top talent. And all this work is paying off—for us, for audiences, and for advertisers. Rewind and unwind with everything that happened this past quarter. 

Headlining Talent Deals 

Our creator and content network is already the biggest and most dynamic, and now that rings true more than ever. At SiriusXM Media, we are creator-first—and it shows in the content we’re able to attract and retain. We grow podcaster-turned-influencer empires, giving you the ability to work with the most influential creators and connect and reach their massive fanbases with omnichannel branded content campaigns. The ink might still be drying on these deals, but we’re ready to share the news. 

• Beloved comedian Trevor Noah is coming to SiriusXM Media, bringing his hit show What Now? to our podcast network. Noah’s show features his take on culture and news and has seen a star roster of guests, including Jon Stewart, Simon Sinek, and Lupita Nyong’o 

• Stephen A. Smith is slated to host and executive produce two new, original shows on SiriusXM this fall, including a daily sports talk show and a weekly current events-focused show 

• Find even more new channels on our already packed SiriusXM sports slate, including the launch of the channel "Pro Wrestling Nation 24/7”  

The buzz for brands: We’re always on the hunt for more talent—signing new deals and developing new ways for brands to connect with the fandom. And we offer everything from omnichannel campaigns to turnkey solutions.

Taking the National and Global Stage 

Q2 brought sunny skies and plenty of reasons to be outside. And both our listeners and advertisers can agree. Here are all the ways we took our digital connection live in the last few months. 

From Headphones to IRL 

The influence of our creators is growing outside audio—and into real life spaces. Podcast fans have such deep relationships with their listeners, that fans line up down the block to see their favorite hosts record live and feel that connection in person. Chart-topping podcasts like Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Smartless, and Sporkful, went on tour this quarter, while shows like Crime Junkie wrapped theirs during the same time—with the help of brand partnerships that got the chance to be front and center during these moments. These podcast tours are just the start, solidifying the fact that the omnichannel experience is here to stay. 

Having Groundbreaking Conversations 

We had a headlining, center stage moment of our own when we took our presence global at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. We led powerhouse panel sessions with thought leaders, set the vibe with SoundCloud DJs, and offered multisensory SoundBar experiences. The event proved that we’re not just following trends, we’re actively helping create them. 

The buzz for brands: Audio may go hand-in-hand with headphones, but audiences still want to make time for IRL, omnichannel experiences. And we make it easy for brands to reach listeners in more and more places with our solutions across podcasts, video, social, and live. 

Shaking Hands with New Partners 

To stay on the pulse of innovation, we know we can’t do it alone. This quarter, we partnered with Innovid and Narrativ so we can keep delivering innovative solutions. Take a look at what’s new. 

• With our new agreement with Narrativ, the AI voice platform, we’re bringing AI-generated voice replicas to brands of all sizes. This partnership means smarter and more scalable ways to breathe life into stories and create audio ad creative 

• Thanks to our partnership with Innovid, a widely integrated ad server, we’re delivering better data around digital audio performance to media mix models (MMM). Brands can now expect an even more accurate representation of streaming music and podcasts’ measurability in MMMs

The buzz for brands: It’s not just innovation that matters. We prioritize data integrity, scale, and unbiased reporting so we can continue to deliver effective campaigns from start to finish. 

Making History on the Road 

While not exactly in Q2, we can’t help but mention the historic launch of SiriusXM Play, just in time for road trip season. Play is our first low-cost, ad-supported subscription plan that offers key advantages for in-car listeners (over 130 channels with limited ads) and advertisers (future incremental reach and half the ad load of AM/FM). 

The buzz for brands: Whether your target audience is obsessed with sports or news, hip hop or country music, or entertainment and comedy, Play offers access to both talk and music channels. And this is just the beginning. Coming up, we’ll be exploring additional ad formats, talent integration opportunities, and future measurement and targeting capabilities. 

Bringing Home the Gold 

It wouldn’t be complete to reminisce on Q2 without thinking of the recognition our talent, shows, and platforms received. 

Our latest awards include: 

• 5 Hermes Creative Awards and two honorable mentions (check out one of our winning campaigns)

• 14 Webby Awards for shows like Smartless, Crime Junkie, Pod Save America, and more 

• 1 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor for Conan O’Brien 

The buzz for brands: Awards and recognition are the result of great content, top talent, and better experiences for audiences and advertisers. If you want to reach consumers alongside premium content, you’re in the right place.

Defining and Redefining Culture

Whether it’s musicians setting trends, podcast hosts spilling the best gossip, or radio hosts going beyond the play-by-play, audio drives culture. And Q2 was filled with culture-defining moments—from festival season to national tours—that made ripples across our streaming audio and podcast networks.

• +6.7M spins for Green Day after Coachella’s final weekend

• +5.6M spins for T-Pain after Coachella’s final weekend  

• 16M+ total combined spins the first week of Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s Grand National Tour

The buzz for brands: To stay on the pulse of culture, you need to follow audio’s beat. Digital audio advertising allows brands to tap into the biggest moments (like awards shows, sporting events, trending stories, and much more), while extending their impact for days and weeks to come.

Putting Music on Repeat 

To understand your audience is to get into their headphones and playlists. In April, these were the top five Pandora stations that had everyone head-bopping.

• The 615: Today’s Country: +11% increase, 1.7M total spins 

• Yacht Rock: +9.5% increase, 2.3M total spins 

• Get Happy: +9.2% increase, 560K total spins 

• Praise and Worship: +9% increase, 1.4M total spins 

• Subculture: 80s Alternative: +8.7% increase, 790K total spins 

The buzz for brands: Our listeners listen to music as diverse as they are, from dance-worthy tracks to timeless classics. Pandora is the place to reach audiences in any mood doing any activity—with audio as their driver and daily soundtrack.

Making Big Moves 

Not bad for a quarter’s work. As we hit the halfway mark in the year, stay tuned for all to come in Q3. Ready to launch a campaign with us in the meantime? Let’s chat. 

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