Stitcher
Stitcher was a media company that specialized in the creation, distribution, and monetization of podcasts. Stitcher created original shows through networks such as Earwolf and Witness Docs. Stitcher provided ad sales and distribution services to 300+ shows. Stitcher was home to one of the largest podcast listening apps. In July 2020, it was acquired by SiriusXM. The acquisition was finalized by October 19, 2020.
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Podcasting |
| Founded | August 8, 2008 |
| Founders |
|
| Defunct | August 29, 2023 |
| Headquarters | , United States |
| Parent | Sirius XM |
| Subsidiaries |
|
| Website | Archived August 29, 2023, at the Wayback Machine |
Stitcher was a media company that specialized in the creation, distribution, and monetization of podcasts.[1] Stitcher created original shows through networks such as Earwolf and Witness Docs. Stitcher provided ad sales and distribution services to 300+ shows. Stitcher was home to one of the largest podcast listening apps. In July 2020, it was acquired by SiriusXM. The acquisition was finalized by October 19, 2020.
History
[edit]Stitcher was founded in 2008 by Noah Shanok, Mike Ghaffary, and Peter deVroede.[2] The company began with just its listening app, entitled "Stitcher", and was venture-backed until 2014 when the company was acquired by Deezer.[3][4] In 2016, Deezer sold Stitcher for $4.5 million to E.W. Scripps Company, who ran Stitcher under its Midroll Media unit.[5][6][7][8] In 2017, Midroll Media underwent a rebranding, making Stitcher the parent company to Midroll Media and Earwolf, another entity under the E.W. Scripps network.[9]
In July 2020, Sirius XM acquired the Stitcher company for $325 million.[10] Following the acquisition, Sirius XM integrated Stitcher's exclusive podcasts into its additional music and podcast listening service, Pandora. At the peak of its popularity, Stitcher was reported to have nearly 14.5 million weekly users.[11][12]
In June 2023, Stitcher announced that the podcast service would be discontinued on August 29, 2023,[13][14] as the parent company, SiriusXM, wanted to focus on incorporating podcasts into the flagship SiriusXM subscription.[15] The production side of the company, Stitcher Studios and Earwolf, continued operations.[16]
Operations
[edit]Users could listen to and download podcasts through Stitcher's mobile apps on iOS or Android, as well as through dedicated hardware integrations such as Sonos, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, or through a web browser. Stitcher also offered Stitcher Premium, a subscription service that allowed listeners to access exclusive ad-free podcasts, which was announced at the end of 2016 and went live early 2017.[17]
Stitcher operated three original content networks with over fifty shows from Earwolf (home to shows like Comedy Bang! Bang!, Office Ladies, How Did This Get Made?), Witness Docs (Unfinished: Deep South, The Dream, Verified), and Stitcher Originals (The Sporkful, By The Book, Science Rules!).[18]
Reception
[edit]Prior versions of the app have been recognized as one of the best podcast apps for both Android and iOS.[19]
See also
[edit]- List of podcast clients & apps
- Earwolf
- Deezer
- Internet radio
- iPhone
- last.fm
- MeeMix
- Pandora Radio
- Radiolicious
- SoundCloud
- Spotify
- TuneIn
References
[edit]- ^ "Stitcher - The Best Place For Podcasts". Stitcher. Archived from the original on 2020-07-23. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
- ^ Siegler, MG (April 20, 2008). "Stitcher reads you headlines, we have invites". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on September 14, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
- ^ Lunden, Ingrid (October 24, 2014). "Deezer Buys Stitcher, Adds 35K Talk Radio Shows And Podcasts To Its Music Platform". TechCrunch.com. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ Kastrenakes, Jacob (2014-10-24). "Deezer buys podcast app Stitcher". The Verge. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
- ^ Lawler, Richard (June 6, 2016). "Deezer sells Stitcher less than two years after purchasing it". Engadget.com. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ Perlberg, Steven (June 6, 2016). "E.W. Scripps Buys Podcast Company Stitcher". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ Quah, Nicholas (2016-06-07). "Hot Pod: Is the Stitcher deal a step toward a closed podcast ecosystem?". Nieman Lab. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
- ^ Roettgers, Janko (2016-06-06). "Scripps Buys Podcast Service Stitcher from Deezer". Variety. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
- ^ Weissman, Cale Guthrie (2018-09-11). "Exclusive: Stitcher is taking over Midroll Media in branding refresh". Fast Company. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
- ^ Carman, Ashley (2020-07-13). "SiriusXM is buying Stitcher for $325 million". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
- ^ Ivanova, Irina (2023-06-27). "Stitcher parent shuts down podcasting app - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
- ^ Mendez, Andrew (2022-08-24). "SiriusXM digs into subscription-based podcast market". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 2022-09-29. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (2023-06-27). "So Long, Stitcher: SiriusXM to Shut Down Podcast App, Website". Variety. Retrieved 2025-11-21.
- ^ Ivanova, Irina (27 June 2023). "Stitcher shuts down as podcast industry loses luster". Yahoo Finance.
- ^ Schultz, Ray. "Stitcher Podcast Service Is Closing In August". www.mediapost.com. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
- ^ Lee, Wendy (2023-06-28). "SiriusXM shuts down Stitcher podcast app amid industry consolidation". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-11-21.
- ^ Whitwam, Ryan (December 12, 2016). "Stitcher Radio updated to v3.8 with SD card support, ad-free premium upgrade, and more". Android Police. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ "Stitcher announces slate of new and returning shows on its Stitcher Originals and Earwolf networks this fall". Podnews. August 6, 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ Badicicco, Lisa (February 20, 2018). "The 5 Best Podcast Apps for Android and iPhone". TIME. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
External links
[edit]- Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived August 29, 2023)
- Stitcher - Podcast Player on Google Play at the Wayback Machine (archived August 29, 2023)
- Stitcher - Podcast Player on iTunes at the Wayback Machine (archived August 9, 2023)