Stitcher shuts down as podcast industry loses luster

2024-12-24 00:17:42 source: category:Scams

Stitcher, a 15-year-old app that helped put podcasts on the map, is shutting down, the company said Tuesday. It's the latest casualty of an economic downturn that has swept the technology and entertainment sectors, including the podcasting business.

"The Stitcher app and website will discontinue operations on August 29, 2023," the company tweeted.

Parent company SiriusXM said it would continue to offer Stitcher's content. "Subscribers can listen to podcasts within the SiriusXM app and will see an all-new listening experience later this year," it said.

The app, which once called itself the No. 1 podcast app in the U.S., had more than 14 millions users at its peak, according to TechCrunch. SiriuxXM, which bought Stitcher in 2002 for $325 million, is closing the app in order to incorporate podcasts "into its flagship SiriusXM subscription business," the company said on its website.

The popular podcast app is the latest tech player struggle as the economy slows and media firms shed jobs. Podcasts haven't been immune. Major podcast studios Vox Media, Pushkin Studios and Spotify all announced layoffs in January. This month, Spotify said it would engage in a second round of layoffs in its podcast division. The streaming giant also cancelled a dozen original podcasts and ended a high-profile podcasting deal with Prince Harry and Meghan that yielded only one podcast series.  

In March, SiriusXM cut nearly 500 jobs, or 8% of its workforce.

The advertising downturn is also hitting news media. Earlier this year, BuzzFeed News and MTV News shut down and Vice News filed for bankruptcy protection.

    In:
  • Spotify

More:Scams

Recommend

Michigan soldier’s daughter finally took a long look at his 250 WWII letters

Edward Martin's letter to his wife began "Dear Princess," wondered how his "little pigeon" was doing

Environmentalists in Virginia and West Virginia Regroup to Stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline, Eyeing a White House Protest

If Russell Chisholm stands in his kitchen in Newport, Virginia and looks east, through his window, h

Water, Water Everywhere, Yet Local U.S. Planners Are Lowballing Their Estimates

Communities across the U.S. are underestimating future sea level rise, according to a study publishe