SiriusXM sheds fewer quarterly subscribers on steady demand for exclusive content

(Reuters) -SiriusXM on Thursday reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly decline in subscribers who directly pay for its satellite radio service, driven by demand for exclusive content, including shows from "Call Her Daddy" podcast host Alex Cooper.

The satellite radio operator launched two new channels with Cooper in February on the SiriusXM app, "Unwell Music" and "Unwell On Air", delivering exclusive content to her dedicated listeners.

SiriusXM now reaches 70 million monthly podcast listeners, with the company’s podcast revenue increasing by 33% year over year.

In January, the company had flagged that several changes introduced such as click-to-cancel features, pullback in streaming marketing, and shorter-term post-trial promotions could impact subscriber additions in the first half of 2025.

Self-pay subscribers decreased by 303,000 in the first quarter, compared with a loss of 359,000 a year earlier. Visible Alpha had estimated a loss of 406,560 subscribers.

"We do not anticipate that tariff-related pressure on new car sales will have a material impact on our subscriber or financial performance this year," CFO Tom Barry said.

Total revenue came in at $2.07 billion for the quarter ended March 31, largely in line with estimates of $2.08 billion according to data compiled by LSEG.

Net income for the quarter stood at $204 million, compared with $241 million a year ago.

Revenue from its Pandora (OTC:PNDRY) and Off-platform segment fell 2% in the quarterly largely due to weaker advertising performance.

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