SiriusXM adds 909,000 subscribers in 2020

Pandora adds 133,000 subscribers

SiriusXM adds 909,000 subscribers in 2020
SiriusXM adds 909,000 subscribers in 2020

SiriusXM adds 909,000 subscribers in 2020 finishing the year with 30.9 million paying subscribers but with only a modest increase in revenue of 2% to $6.35 Bn. Growth in subscriber revenue was offset by a decline in advertising revenue. Total SiriusXM subscribers were 34.7 million at the end of 2020, down approximately 1% from 34.9 million at the end of 2019.  Paid promotional subscribers decreased due to lower auto sales, a decrease in vehicle shipments by automakers offering paid trial subscriptions, and a reduction in trial lengths at certain automakers.

SiriusXM closed its acquisition of Stitcher in October 2020.  Stitcher reported record quarterly ad revenue in the fourth quarter, and it extended sales and distribution rights to popular podcasts including WTF With Marc Maron and Hidden Brain.  Stitcher has some of the most popular podcasts available today including Freakonomics, My Favorite Murder and Office Ladies, which was recently named Podcast of the Year at the iHeartMedia Podcast Awards.

The Pandora streaming arm of the business saw Monthly Active Users (MAUs) at 58.9 million at the end of 2020, down from 63.5 million at the end of 2019.  Total ad supported listener hours were 12.5 Bn in 2020, down from 13.44 Bn in 2019. Total Ad Supported listener hours were 12.5 Bn. There were 133,000 net new self-pay subscribers to its Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium services in 2020, ending with nearly 6.3 million self-pay subscribers to those services.

The combined SiriusXM group saw fourth quarter and full year 2020 operating and financial revenue of $2.19 Bn and $8.04 Bn, an increase of 6% and 3%, respectively, compared to the prior year periods.  The company recorded a net loss of $677 million in the fourth quarter of 2020 while full year net income totalled $131 million, down from $914 million for the full year in 2019.

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