Stitcher

Stitcher
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Podcast production and distribution
Founded	2008
Founder	Noah Shanok, Mike Ghaffary, Peter deVroede
Fate	Ceased podcast app and service on August 29, 2023; production divisions remain active
Headquarters	San Francisco, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Podcast listening application, Stitcher Premium subscription service, original content networks (Earwolf, Witness Docs, Stitcher Originals)
Parent	Sirius XM (acquired October 2020)

Stitcher was a company focused on podcast production, distribution, and revenue generation. It developed original programming through networks such as Earwolf and Witness Docs, while also offering advertising sales and distribution support to more than 300 podcasts. Stitcher maintained one of the largest podcast listening platforms. The company was acquired by SiriusXM in July 2020, with the transaction finalized in October 2020.

History

Established in 2008 by Noah Shanok, Mike Ghaffary, and Peter deVroede, Stitcher initially launched with its podcast listening application. The firm secured venture capital funding until its acquisition by Deezer in 2014. In 2016, Deezer sold Stitcher for $4.5 million to Midroll Media, a digital media entity purchased by E.W. Scripps Company in 2015. The following year, Midroll underwent rebranding, positioning Stitcher as the parent organization of Midroll Media and Earwolf within the Scripps portfolio.

In July 2020, Sirius XM acquired Stitcher for $325 million and incorporated its exclusive podcast content into the Pandora streaming platform. At its height, Stitcher attracted close to 14.5 million weekly listeners.

By June 2023, Stitcher declared it would cease its podcast app and service on August 29, 2023, as SiriusXM redirected efforts toward embedding podcasts within its primary subscription products. Nonetheless, Stitcher's production divisions—Stitcher Studios and Earwolf—remain active.

Operations

Listeners accessed Stitcher's podcast offerings via mobile applications available on iOS and Android, along with compatibility on hardware platforms including Sonos, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa, as well as through web browsers. Introduced in early 2017, Stitcher Premium was a subscription-based service delivering exclusive ad-free podcast episodes.

The company curated three original content networks hosting over fifty programs: Earwolf (featuring Comedy Bang! Bang!, Office Ladies, How Did This Get Made?), Witness Docs (with titles like Unfinished: Deep South, The Dream, Verified), and Stitcher Originals (including The Sporkful, By The Book, Science Rules!).

Reception

Stitcher experienced a 42% increase in revenue year-over-year, achieving $73 million in 2019. Its app was acknowledged as one of the leading podcast platforms on both Android and iOS devices.

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History

Operations

Reception

See also

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