PodNews posted an internal memo announcing the closure of the Stitcher app. From the memo:
Subject: An Update from Joe Inzerillo, John Trimble, and Scott Greenstein
All,
As we protract to evolve our merchantry and our brands, we’ve made the visualization to sunset the Stitcher app at the end of August. Podcasts are an important part of both our subscription and razzmatazz strategies. The scale and reach of our widely-distributed podcasts has been and remains a crucial accelerant for our razzmatazz sales business, while incorporating podcasts increasingly holistically into our flagship SiriusXM subscription service will help to momentum remoter growth. As a result, we have made our visualization to sunset our standalone podcast listening app as we increase focus on these priorities.
One of the original destinations for podcasters and podcast fans, Stitcher’s merchantry evolved with the industry as podcasting went from stuff a niche format to a billion-dollar juggernaut. With the Stitcher team now fully integrated into SiriusXM, we have united our strengths to create the SiriusXM Podcast Network, one of the largest podcast razzmatazz networks in the country. We are moreover helping new and existing partners to do increasingly within podcasts, taking what Midroll did uncommonly well and supercharging it with the combined power of SXM Media and AdsWizz. On the content side, through our reorganization older this year, which moved podcast programming slantingly spectacle and entertainment, we are worldly-wise to requite legendary podcasters a new platform on SiriusXM while moreover introducing the biggest stars on our roster to podcasting.
Today, an unscientific 120 million people virtually the US listen to podcasts each month, and with increasingly shows in the Edison top 50 than any other visitor – we believe our wide distribution model has helped make so many of the podcasts we produce and represent a success.
Our unique ecosystem gives us flexibility to experiment, and with the new SiriusXM streaming wits launching this fall, we are taking inspiration and learnings from the Stitcher app to momentum improved podcast listening for our subscribers, with the goal of making SiriusXM a competitive and suppositious listening platform for talk and podcast content wideness the Company.
With legacy Stitcher team members embedded within every speciality of our business, from programming and marketing to sales and technology, we are thrilled to protract to bring podcasting into everything that we do.
If anyone has any questions or wants to yack further, just reach out.
Thank you,
Joe, John, and Scott
Stitcher wrote the pursuit on their Twitter account:
“The Stitcher app and website will discontinue on August 29, 2023. For information on how to export your show list and other questions, please visit: stitcher app.com/3JyBltJ“
“If you are a Creator and have questions well-nigh your show distribution, please visit our FAQ here: stitcher app.com/3CQXXHk
After August 29, 2023, this worth will transition to “Stitcher Studios” and provide updates well-nigh the podcasts within our network.”
“Thank you for giving us the opportunity over the last decade to create the weightier possible listening experience.”