Last month, SiriusXM signed a multi-year deal with creators Paige DeSorbo and Hannah Berner for their Giggly Squad podcast reportedly valued at $160 million. Weeks later, the duo sold out four different nights for a live podcast tour at Madison Square Garden. That unprecedented deal signals a broader shift in podcasting: platforms are competing for creator-led businesses, not just shows.
“It’s even caught us on our heels, honestly, the demand for Giggly,” said Kelli Hurley, vp and head of content and podcast partnership at SiriusXM. “We were prepared, we were all hands on deck, but it has been just unprecedented in terms of what we’re seeing from the marketplace.”
Tom Webster, partner at trade association Sounds Profitable, said that despite podcast reach remaining flat since 2024, 8% of people who have consumed a podcast say they started in just the last 30 days. That’s a steady influx of new customers, and platforms like Spotify, Apple, and SiriusXM are trying to court them.
Continue reading this article on digiday.com. Sign up for Digiday newsletters to get the latest on media, marketing and the future of TV.