Stitcher is a media company that specializes in the creation, distribution, and monetization of
podcasts. Stitcher creates original shows through networks such as
Earwolf and Witness Docs. Stitcher provides ad sales and distribution services to 300+ shows. Stitcher is home to one of the largest podcast listening apps. In July 2020, it was acquired by
SiriusXM
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...
. The acquisition was finalized by 19 October 2020.
History
Stitcher was founded in 2008 by Noah Shanok, Mike Ghaffary, and Peter deVroede. The company began with just the listening app and was venture-backed until 2014 when it was acquired by
Deezer
Deezer is a French online music streaming service. It allows users to listen to music content from record labels, as well as podcasts on various devices online or offline.
Created in Paris, Deezer currently has 90 million licensed tracks in i ...
. In 2016, Deezer sold Stitcher for $4.5 million to Midroll Media, a digital media company founded in 2012 and acquired by
E.W. Scripps Company in 2015.
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.
In July 2020,
Sirius XM
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...
acquired the company for $325 million.
Operations
Users can listen to and download podcasts through apps on iOS, Android, the Web, and several vehicle integrations. Stitcher also offers Stitcher Premium, a subscription service that allows listeners to access exclusive ad-free podcasts, which was announced at the end of 2016 and went live early 2017.
Stitcher currently operates 3 original content networks with over 50 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!).
Reception
Stitcher's revenue has been reported to increase 42% year over year, with its 2019 revenue reaching $73 million. Prior versions of the app have been recognized as one of the best podcast apps for both Android and iOS.
See also
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Earwolf
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Deezer
Deezer is a French online music streaming service. It allows users to listen to music content from record labels, as well as podcasts on various devices online or offline.
Created in Paris, Deezer currently has 90 million licensed tracks in i ...
*
Internet radio
Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitte ...
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iPhone
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last.fm
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MeeMix
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Pandora Radio
Pandora is a subscription-based music streaming service owned by Sirius XM Holdings based in Oakland, California, United States. The service carries a focus on recommendations based on the " Music Genome Project" — a means of classifying in ...
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Radiolicious
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SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming s ...
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Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
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TuneIn
References
External links
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Stitcher - Podcast Player on Google PlayStitcher - Podcast Player on iTunes
{{Podcast distribution platforms, state=expanded
Internet radio in the United States
Android (operating system) software
BlackBerry software
IOS software
Companies based in San Francisco
Android Auto software
Podcasting companies
Podcasting software