Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes’ ‘SmartLess’ podcast is going to SiriusXM for $100 million

SiriusXM gained exclusive rights to the hit podcast as part of a larger deal with SmartLess Media, according to an announcement Monday. Sirius will hold the advertising and distribution rights, content and events for the podcast and other select shows.

$100 million is a staggering amount for the podcast, which launched in July 2020. Bloomberg first reported the huge price tag. But “SmartLess” has fetched multimillions before: In 2021, Amazon had acquired the exclusive rights in a deal valued between $60 million and $80 million, Bloomberg reported.

The deal keeps the podcast widely available, but brings perks to SiriusXM subscribers – and could possibly encourage more to join. SiriusXM subscribers will get early access to “SmartLess” and other podcasts such as “Just Jack & Will,” “Bad Dates,” and “Owned.” The majority of the “SmartLess” library will be only be on SiriusXM once the deal commences in the summer.

SiriusXM has about 34 million subscribers, according to its October 2023 earnings report. The network also exclusively distributes Conan O’Brien’s “Conan Needs a Friend” podcast and Crooked Media’s “Pod Save America.” The podcasts, which remain free, even to non-SiriusXM subscribers, help create an alternate revenue stream for the satellite radio company.

The “SmartLess” podcast is among the top listened to in the country. Its notable guests have included President Joe Biden, Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Greta Gerwig, Idris Elba, Pedro Pascal and Selena Gomez.

Over the past few years, SiriusXM has “doubled down on our commitment to podcasting,” Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM said in a release. “With the addition of ‘SmartLess,’ we are strengthening our leadership position in podcasting.”

SiriusXM Podcast Network is a competitor to streaming giants like Spotify and Amazon. Spotify has had to make up for the more than $1 billion it spent on podcasting, much of which went toward deals with celebrities to make podcasts that never materialized and acquiring podcast studios that it later shuttered.

CNN’s Sergio Padilla contributed to this report.

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