SiriusXM Canada has confirmed the satellite radio provider’s ad-supported subscription tier, announced by the company’s U.S. counterpart last week, will be available on this side of the border.
SiriusXM Play marks the introduction of the company’s first low-cost, ad-supported subscription package, available for $7 USD/month, significantly less than its other tiers which range from $14.99 to $24.98 stateside. Similar plans in Canada, currently run $16.80 to $28.80 monthly, with an app-only subscription priced at $9.99/month.
Offering access to over 130 channels, SiriusXM said in its U.S. announcement that ads would be “limited” (half the ad-load of traditional radio at launch), “delivering a compelling subset of its signature premium, curated music, talk, and sports programming at an exceptional value.”
A SiriusXM Canada spokesperson confirmed to Broadcast Dialogue that “SiriusXM Play will be available in Canada on a limited basis in the coming weeks,” with no further details provided.
The company is going after the lone space radio continues to dominate – the car – saying in the U.S. announcement that the new plan gives marketers “the ability to deliver powerful audio ads with fewer interruptions and reach an engaged, leaned-in consumer.”
“SiriusXM Play presents us with an incredible opportunity to thoughtfully scale our audio service on the road and off to even more listeners across North America,” said Wayne Thorsen, SiriusXM’s Chief Operating Officer, in the announcement. “With Play, we can reach and engage with new, more price-sensitive listeners with a low-cost, ad-supported subscription with more than 130 channels available in-car and so much more in-app, and leverage our strengths across both content and technology as the premium audio leader in-car to deliver this compelling offering to consumers and advertisers alike.”
SiriusXM says it plans to make the package available to nearly 100 million vehicles in the U.S. by the end of the year, with plans to evolve the advertising offering with additional capabilities like enhanced targeting, dynamic ad insertion, creative channel takeover packages, and measurement tools across SiriusXM’s ad inventory in 360L-enabled vehicles.
