Stitcher, the popular podcast service founded in San Francisco in 2007, is expected to shut down its app and web listening platforms on August 29.
The company hasn’t made any decisions of its own in years — Stitcher has been bouncing back and forth between its parent companies since its initial sale in 2014 — but current owner SiriusXM’s move to shut down the audio pioneer’s listening platforms is another sign of industry consolidation . SiriusXM executives announced the closure in a memo on Tuesday.
The audio giant known for its satellite radio stations is shutting down Stitcher to attract customers to its flagship subscription service. Stitcher’s premium subscriptions (which offered exclusive episodes and ad-free listening) are no longer available, but the company will continue to produce podcasts through Stitcher Studios and Earwolf. Bloomberg reported that the company’s wiretapping platforms had a total of 900,000 users as of March 2023. According to LinkedIn, while most of Stitcher’s workforce is now based in New York and Los Angeles, SiriusXM has an office in Oakland.
Stitcher merged with ad network Midroll and audio studio Earwolf after publishing giant EW Scripps bought Stitcher in 2016. The studios now have popular podcasts like 99% Invisible, Podcrushed, and Office Ladies, which will continue to be available outside of SiriusXM.
The executive memo, reviewed by SFGATE, praised Stitcher’s employees who were integrated into SiriusXM after the company acquired the company for $325 million in 2020 and was endorsed by the company’s chief product and tech officer, Joe Inzerillo, the chief Advertising Revenue Officer John Trimble and Chief Signed Content Officer Scott Greenstein.
“Stitcher was one of the original go-to places for podcasters and podcast fans. Stitcher’s business evolved with the industry as podcasting evolved from a niche format to a multi-billion dollar juggernaut,” the trio wrote.
The podcast industry has seen lavish spending from companies like Spotify, SiriusXM and iHeartMedia in recent years as companies have built a range of original, sometimes exclusive, content (like Prince Harry and Meghan’s “Archetypes”). Most podcasts are free to access and paid for through embedded advertising. But SiriusXM is only available by subscription, and the company is hoping that Stitcher’s paying customers will make the switch — Bloomberg reported that premium Stitcher users will be offered six free months of SiriusXM streaming.
The three executives said they are “using the inspiration and insights from the Stitcher app to improve podcast listening for our subscribers, with the goal of making SiriusXM a competitive and credible listening platform for speaking and podcast content from around the world.” to make businesses.”
This breaking news has been updated.
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