SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Satellite-radio provider SiriusXM said it will shut down its Stitcher podcast app at the end of August in favor of its own SiriusXM app, part of a larger effort to emphasize its own brand.
Many of the podcasts featured on Stitcher are already available on the SiriusXM app, and all podcasts on Stitcher “can also be found anywhere else podcasts are distributed,” the company said. SiriusXM Holdings Ltd. does not have exclusive podcasts.
The company is sending existing Stitcher users an offer for a free six-month trial of its platinum SiriusXM service, which includes the company's streaming services for music, sports and sports talk, other talk shows and news.
No layoffs are planned as part of the change. Stitcher, which SiriusXM acquired in 2020 for $325 million, has emphasized the simplicity of its app, noting on its website that it was “designed for podcasts and nothing else.” Its app and website had a combined 900,000 unique visitors as of March, according to Comscore.
SiriusXM plans a revamp of its own app later this year that will also emphasize ease of use and price flexibility.
Associated Press, The Associated Press