SiriusXM Canada says it won’t be offering its Free Access plan on this side of the border in step with a move by its American counterpart to introduce the ad-supported offering in the U.S.
During its Q2 2024 earnings call stateside last week, the satellite radio provider announced a major shift in its subscription model as the battle for dominance in-dash continues amidst more competition from audio streamers and a continued command held by traditional AM/FM.
Free Access, which offers a limited selection of popular ad-supported music and talk channels – including SiriusXM Hits 1, Alt Nation, ESPN Radio, xL Conan O’Brien Radio, The Highway and ’90s on 9 – is only available in vehicle models equipped with a SiriusXM 360L hybrid radio, which in the case of General Motors, Chrysler, and Subaru means 2023 or newer.
Unlike other SiriusXM plans, the subscription doesn’t require users to sign up with a credit card, but they must be logged in at least once every 60 days to avoid automatic deactivation. The Free Access plan is also not transferable to listening via the SiriusXM mobile app or car-to-car.
Edison Research has released data indicating SiriusXM’s strength is in newer model vehicles, finding that the newer the car, the more likely the listener to consume SiriusXM satellite radio. Among those with 2020 or newer model year cars, 22% of daily in-car listening time is spent with SiriusXM, compared with just four per cent spent with satellite radio by those with cars from model years 2009 and older.
AM/FM radio still dominates time spent with audio in older vehicles (71% among drivers of vehicles 2009 and older), and accounts for over half of all time spent with audio (52%) in-car in vehicle model years 2020 and newer.
Unlike its American counterpart, SiriusXM Canada is no longer publicly traded following a go-private transaction completed in 2017. The company purports to have more than 2.5 million subscribers in Canada, according to its website.
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