SiriusXM has unveiled its refreshed branding built around a star icon.
The company states that the new logo takes inspiration from the night sky, putting a star at the center of its iconic “S” to represent Sirius, the “Dog Star.” The star is defined to “harken back to the brand’s origins as well as gives a nod to the service’s consumer value proposition, bringing subscribers closer to the artists, hosts, celebrities, journalists, newsmakers, and personalities they love. Interwoven into the new logo is this concept of Closer, a refreshed brand platform that aligns with the heart and soul of the SiriusXM brand”.
The company is also bringing back the pre-merger Sirius “Dogstar” icon now named Stella and will launch a major marketing campaign in early 2024.
The presentation also included presentations and appearances from CEO Jennifer Witz, Howard Stern, Chief Growth Officer Suzi Watford, Chief Project and Technology Officer Joe Inzerillo, Chief Commercial Officer Joe Verbrugge, President/Chief Content Officer Scott Greenstein, Conan O’Brien, Andy Cohen, Kelly Clarkson, Shaggy, Maren Morris, Kevin Hart, Ashley Flowers and Armani White that spotlighted the company’s new app platform and content initiatives.
The company’s new app platform will unify the SiriusXM broadcast channels, Pandora’s streaming, and Stitcher’s podcast platform in one. It will launch on December 14 on iOS, Android and FireTV with others to follow. The new platform will emphasize “live, human curated audio”. A streaming only subscription will be made available on that date for $9.99 per month.
SiriusXM announced new programming initiatives including new artist channels including “Kelly Clarkson Connection” that will debut on channel 12 at 1:00pm today, rebranding “Soul Town” as “Smokey Robinson’s Soul Town” as it moves from channel 49 to channel 74, relaunching “The Joint” as “Shaggy’s Boombastic Radio” on channel 332, as well as the new Alt2K (channel 313), Flex2K (channel 49) and The Flow (channel 48). A limited-run channel for Dolly Parton’s new album “Dolly’s Rockstar Radio” will air on channel 14 from November 15 through November 21 and on the app until December 14. It will then hand channel 14 off to John Mayer’s new “Life with John Mayer” channel. The company will also have over 150 artist takeovers on its suite of channels as part of its rebrand.
Talk shows spotlighted were James Corden’s new weekly show and additional programming coming to Conan O’Brien’s channel. SiriusXM will also launch a True Crime channel in partnership with Ashley Flowers’ Audiochuck.
The company also announced multiple new brand partnerships. The company will bring select Audible content to SiriusXM and in reverse. Hilton Hotels will make SiriusXM available in its app for guests staying at its properties. Polestar will become the most next car manufacturer to include SiriusXM in its 2024 models.
Witz stated that they are currently researching simplified pricing structures and will have more to announce later next year.
Today at SiriusXM’s Next Generation Industry & Press Preview, the Company unveiled the new SiriusXM Streaming app, rolling out to subscribers across North America beginning on December 14. Accompanying the app is a refreshed brand platform and the newly-priced Streaming All Access Plan for $9.99 a month*, aimed at welcoming in a new generation of SiriusXM listeners.
“The introduction of the new SiriusXM streaming experience marks a pivotal moment in our history, one that kicks off a new era of innovation at our Company,” said Jennifer Witz, CEO, SiriusXM. “And this launch is just the beginning; we will continue to iterate and develop our product offerings throughout the next year and beyond as we strive to deliver our subscribers the best listening experience on the go, in the car, and wherever they choose to tune in. From can’t miss live moments to the perfect soundtrack for any occasion, with the new SiriusXM, we are putting our differentiators at the forefront and welcoming in a new generation of listeners, bringing them closer to what they love.”
The event also included a first-look at the Company’s new logo and brand platform, embracing the stars and bringing to life SiriusXM’s promise to bring listeners CLOSER. Additionally, SiriusXM unveiled its new mascot, a fresh take on its iconic dog, now playfully named Stella. More information on SiriusXM’s brand refresh is available here.
THE NEW SIRIUSXM APP
The new SiriusXM app, which will begin rolling out in the App Store, Google Play, and on Amazon Fire devices on December 14 with additional platforms and features to come in early 2024, will offer listeners a more personalized, easy-to-use, lean-back streaming experience that puts discovery at the forefront.Key features coming to the new SiriusXM app include:
- Always-On Personalization & Curation: Listeners will now be welcomed in with four curated sections: Music, Talk & Podcasts, Sports, and For You, a customized landing page for each listener. Personalized touch points will greet users across the app experience – even during playback, where listeners who reach their skip limits will be presented with alternative recommendations, allowing them to pivot to content better suited to their mood.
- Greater Content Discovery: New pages dedicated to teams, shows, channels, artists and more bring fans closer, allowing them to go deeper into what they love.
- Revamped Playback: The new and improved media player will be optimized for each type of content, with new audio segments allowing listeners to jump to key moments; transcription and speed control for podcasts and on-demand talk content; live listening updates for sports and beyond; enhanced airplay and casting; and more.
- Enhanced Search: Upgraded search capabilities will make it easier for users to quickly find who or what they are looking for, while the addition of a new search home page will provide curated recommendations for listeners who are looking to discover more.
- Improved Podcast Listening: Podcasting holds a place of honor in the new SiriusXM app, with an expanded library and new features such as key moment markers.
- Central Audio Library: A revamped library will allow fans to save the content they love – from live channels to on-demand and podcasts, from artists and bands to teams and leagues – in one centralized location, with new offline listening and download capabilities.
- Interactive Onboarding: New subscribers will be invited to tailor their SiriusXM experience at sign-on by selecting artists, genres, personalities, leagues, and topics that they love, then browse through and sample tailored channel recommendations with a simple swipe.
NEW ORIGINAL CHANNELS & SHOWS COMING TO SIRIUSXMSiriusXM announced a variety of new channels and show details, offering something for every listener and bringing fans closer to the artists, personalities, and music they love. These include:
- Kelly Clarkson Connection: The new year-round channel launched today and welcomes listeners into Kelly’s world. Listeners are presented with the music she loves and is inspired by, along with the stories behind the music from Kelly’s two-decade long catalog of award-winning hits. Additional details are available here.
- New audiochuck channel curated by Ashley Flowers: Expected early next year, the channel will be curated by audiochuck and its Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Ashley Flowers, the host behind chart-topping podcasts including Crime Junkie. Additional details are available here.
- Life with John Mayer channel to debut November 22: The exclusive new year-round channel hosted by the seven-time GRAMMY® Award winning singer-songwriter will feature a slate of shows hosted by Mayer, renowned DJ Diplo and legendary producer Don Was. Additional details are available here.
- This Life of Mine with James Corden: Marking his entrance into audio, Corden’s new weekly show will explore the people, places, moments, and memories that helped shape today’s biggest stars, and will launch exclusively for SiriusXM subscribers early next year. Additional details are available here.
- Dolly Parton’s Rockstar Radio: The new channel launching November 15 and available for a limited time will feature songs from Dolly’s upcoming album Rockstar as well as familiar hits and hand-picked favorites that inspired the making of the new album. Additional details are available here.
- Smokey’s Soul Town: The new year-round channel available now and curated by legendary singer, songwriter and producer Smokey Robinson will play the best of Classic Soul, R&B and Motown from the 60s and 70s. Additional details are available here.
- Shaggy’s Boombastic Radio: A new year-round channel available now, curated by the GRAMMY® Award winning reggae icon, immerses listeners in the sounds of reggae, dancehall and vibrant afrobeats. Additional details are available here.
- Three new channels are dedicated to different genres of music from the 2000s:
- The Flow features the R&B hits after the turn of the millennium from artists including Alicia Keys, Ciara, H.E.R., John Legend, Khalid, Ne-Yo, Usher and more.
- Flex2K is dedicated to Hip-Hop from the 2000s, a special time that saw the debut of classic albums like 50 Cent’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” and the rise of superstars Drake, Nicki Minaj, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar and others.
- Alt2K relives the energy, emotion and exploration of 2000s alternative rock from the breakthrough artists that defined the generation including Cage The Elephant, Coldplay, Fall Out Boy, MUSE, The Killers and much more.
- Additional details are available here.
With the launch of the new SiriusXM app on December 14, the company will be introducing new guest DJ channel takeovers from over 160 of the world’s top artists and bands, ranging from Olivia Rodrigo and Cardi B to Alice Cooper and Luke Combs. These new takeovers bring listeners even closer to the artists they love with music hand-curated by the stars.
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com