Satellite radio station SiriusXM ($SIRI) has given all Americans access to its premium content until May 15th, the company announced this week. SiriusXM's streaming platform has a ton of channels and stations locked behind a subscription paywall, but instead of paying $14 a month you can now just simply go online and start listening. Howard Stern announced the "stream free" program on his radio show, if you needed any more reason to believe this is a big deal.
"In the days ahead, we hope it's a valuable source of information or diversion, a generous mix of fresh live content, and a source of companionship that comes from the hosts on our many shows and channels," - Jim Meyer, CEO of SiriusXM Radio
What kind of impact will this have on the bottom line? Social media might give us some insight into how big a splash this move really is.
It's a pretty good time to be SiriusXM and Howard Stern, since the Facebook ($FB) 'Talking About' count is hitting all-time highs not seen since Stern renewed years ago. The amount of likes also keeps chugging along too, which helps with engagement.
2020 has seen a 5% increase in Twitter followers, which was already at a sizable number to begin with. Things continue to look up for SiriusXM...
...except the stock price? Strange, considering the wealth of good news and data. The company added lots of new employees at the start of the year, so there's no reason to suggest digital radio is going away anytime soon.
Not since SiriusXM added a Stay-at-Home radio station for easy listening jams. Anyone anxious about the pandemic should listen to some tunes, some cool hits, and just ride out the next month of free premium content.
About the Data:
Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales.