SiriusXM Launches Sub-$7 Ad-Supported Tier to Boost In-Car Reach

SiriusXM unveiled its first ad-supported subscription tier, SiriusXM Play, pricing the service at less than $7 a month—at least $3 below the company’s cheapest commercial-free package. The new plan will carry limited advertising across more than 130 music, sports, talk and news channels, with an ad load roughly half that of traditional terrestrial radio. Play is available immediately on a trial basis for both satellite and streaming listeners and is slated to reach nearly 100 million compatible vehicles by the end of 2025. Premium content such as Howard Stern programming, live sports play-by-play and certain artist-curated channels will remain exclusive to higher-priced, ad-free tiers. The lower-cost option is aimed at converting the large pool of drivers who let their three-month free trials lapse and at expanding SiriusXM’s advertising inventory. Advertising already contributed about $1.8 billion to the company’s 2024 revenue, but overall subscriber numbers slipped by 303,000 in the first quarter of 2025, leaving SiriusXM with 33 million subscribers and quarterly revenue of $2.07 billion.