SiriusXM launches Podcasts+ within Apple Podcasts

By Phil Nickinson Published August 1, 2024

Let us preface this piece with the following: The word “podcast,” which was originally intended to refer to a series of content beamed out into the world via an open standard, now has no meaning. That said, SiriusXM — the satellite radio company that’s grown far beyond merely bouncing audio signals to space and back — has just announced SiriusXM Podcasts+.

The awkwardly named subscription service lives within Apple Podcasts and will be available starting August 5, for $6 a month or $45 a year. In exchange for that fee, you’ll get ad-free episodes of shows from the SmartLess Media library, the Freakonomics Radio Network, and select shows from the Last Podcast Network.

The shows — which in addition to the super-popular SmartLess, include the likes of 99% Invisible, Last Podcast on the Left, The Joel Osteen Podcast, Literally! With Rob Lowe, and Andy Cohen’s Daddy Diary Podcast — are, of course, also available anywhere else you can get a podcast. But in addition to not being served with advertising, the Podcasts+ subscription will also offer bonus content, and new episodes will be available early. (SiriusXM says a bunch of those benefits also will be available to SiriusXM subscribers in the SiriusXM app.) And because we’re talking about all this in the confines of Apple’s proprietary podcast app, you’ll also be able to get easy transcriptions of the shows.

“As the leading audio entertainment company in North America, we are excited to expand our audience reach with the launch of SiriusXM Podcasts+,” Scott Greenstein, president and chief content officer at SiriusXM, said in a press release. “This new offering gives podcast enthusiasts the chance to subscribe to premium content from some of the most popular podcasts on our network, right through Apple Podcasts. This allows us to reach new listeners, increases value for creators looking to engage fans, and facilitates our ability to add premium content to our flagship SiriusXM app and enhance the value of our core subscription.”

The Apple Podcasts app is available on Apple’s mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad, as well as on Macs and Apple TV 4K.

So, yeah. You’ll be able to get ad-free podcasts with bonus content and early drops, for a fee, within a specific app. That’s not exactly what the founding fathers of podcasting intended, even if it is the obvious and eventual progression.