Giggly Squad’s SiriusXM deal signals a shift from podcast networks to creator ecosystems

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.

SiriusXM svp of podcast content Adam Sachs started working in podcasting 15 years ago, and he’s had a bird’s-eye view of the shifting landscape.

“The power of the network was what mattered [back then]. We would have these horizontal networks with a bunch of different shows in the network that all shared a sensibility,” he explained. “Now the approach is way more verticalized. We’re working with specific talent as opposed to a specific network, and helping them build a vertical ecosystem where their fans can engage. It’s sort of flipped.”

Building those vertical ecosystems can involve simple, expected things like helping a creator with their AV setup to far-reaching, off-platform support that includes IRL events. 

“When we’re making these deals, we are increasingly thinking about a podcast as audio, video, social, and live. It’s those four legs of the stool, and we want to be a part of all of it,” said Sachs.

The giggly effect

SiriusXM isn’t the only platform looking to work with creators beyond just hosting their show. Bryan Barletta, partner at Sounds Profitable and president of Podcast Movement, said Amazon’s investment in the NFL brother duo podcast, New Heights, signals a major shift in the partnership dynamic.

“We’re entering a new phase of podcasting where a distinct upper tier of creators is emerging, with significant separation from those coming up behind them,” he said.

The top tier of podcasting is drawing live audiences at arena scale. Giggly Squad is the first female-hosted podcast to headline Madison Square Garden, and tickets that averaged in the mid-$100s sold out fast. The sheer scope of the Giggly deal led Sirius to take a step back, according to Hurley. “In the past couple of weeks we took a total pause…we’ve got to do a full reset in how we want to go to market with this asset,” she said.

And brands are increasingly looking to get involved at multiple points in a creator podcast’s presence, from branded equipment to distribution support to showing up at IRL events. Now, more brands are heading into partnership talks wanting to “buy a creator,” according to Hurley. They’re asking for exclusivity, but Sirius wants to give them more.

“[We want] to be a one-stop shop,” she said.

Other platforms are offering a variety of ways for creators to connect with brands. Substack recently launched early access signups for dynamic ad insertion and plans for creators to leverage programmatic sponsorships in early 2027. Beehiiv just launched similar tools, dropping dynamic ad insertion, campaign management, and programmatic access just this past week.

“It gives creators more flexibility: run their own sponsor campaigns, put current ads into older episodes, and open unsold spots to programmatic demand when there’s a match,” said Ainsley Rossitto, head of podcast at beehiiv. 

Another podcast pivot?

Since the mid-2020s, podcasts have aggressively pivoted to video. Sounds Profitable reports that now, only 17% of Americans expect a podcast to be audio-only. Substack’s head of video, Zach Taylor, told Digiday that half of their 350 highest revenue creators were using both audio in video in April 2024. “By February 2025, that number had grown to 82%,” he said.

The inclusion of a video component for podcasts makes it easier for discovery, as show clips can circulate on other social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

“Your podcast doesn’t have to be on video, but you have to have video,” said Barletta. Sounds Profitable’s research showed 84% of podcast clip consumers say clips led them to become regular podcast listeners at least sometimes.

Sachs said SiriusXM is seeing algorithmic growth through YouTube because of its built-in discoverability. 

“The Team Coco channel has over 9 million subscribers, but on a given episode, half of the viewers to the episode are non-subs,” he said. “YouTube is pushing it out to people that it thinks will like this episode, and that just didn’t happen in the old days of RSS.”

There are new pivots on the horizon: short-form content and a return to traditional radio. Sachs said Sirius is looking to do more with creators who are short-form-only content (monetizing their content, empowering them to do live events, and maybe even getting them on the radio), and are also supporting podcasters like Giggly Squad in creating their own radio shows — all in service of grabbing bigger slices of that audience pie.

“The radio audience is very distinct from the podcast audience; it’s a really disparate audience in terms of demographics, so we don’t see that as cannibalization at all. We see it as incremental reach,” Sachs said. “Giggly Squad is going to have a significant radio component, as well.”