Sirius XM buys Conan O’Brien’s podcasts for $150 million
The Team Coco podcast brand, including Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend, has now been acquired by the Earwolf owner
Aux News Podcasts
It’s like the old showbiz truism goes: Anyone can make it in the big-money world of podcasting, provided they’ve got a little talent, a lot of grit, and also international name recognition and several beloved TV shows under their belt. Which is to say that Variety reports today that Conan O’Brien has just sold his Team Coco podcasting brand to Sirius XM, reportedly for roughly $150 million.
That brand will include O’Brien’s flagship podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend—your one-stop shop for all the best conceptual Paul Rudd podcasting pranks—plus potential new Sirius shows produced by the Team Coco crew, all of whom will apparently make their way over in the wake of the sale.
O’Brien himself issued a statement about the acquisition, doing that thing where he makes picking up $150 million still sound like some sort of self-deprecating humiliation, as is his wont: “When I started in television my ultimate goal was to work my way up to radio.” O’Brien added, more sincerely, “This new deal with SiriusXM builds on the great relationship that began several years ago with a team that is the standout in their field.”
The Team Coco brand came to prominence as O’Brien made the transition from the debacle surrounding his truncated tenure on NBC’s Tonight Show to TBS; it’s hard to blame O’Brien for building an independent apparatus around his brand, show, and staffers after the way he got treated by NBC, and the results have been pretty huge: Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend has regularly been a top podcast on Apple Podcasts, and has featured such major guest gets as Bob Newhart, Stephen Colbert, and Barack and Michell Obama.
Sirius has made a few different moves into the podcast acquisition world in recent years; most notably, the satellite radio company acquired comedy podcasting brand Earwolf—which also co-developed Needs A Friend—in 2020 as part of a larger deal that reportedly cost $325 million.
73 Comments
The Wolf is indeed dead.
Conan sure did get royally screwed by NBC, who went on to such vile things as hiring Trump for ‘The Assprentice’’ which lterally helped him run for president and ruin this country, possibly forever.But also after they put Jay Leno back in, they then hired the ABSOLUTLEY WORST, MOST UNTALENTED host for ‘’The Tonight Show’ ever, the vile Jimmy Fallon, who also helped Trump on his way.His being on that show had sullied that name of the show and is an insult to all the previous hosts, from Steve Allen to Jack Paar to Johnny Carson to Jay Leno (Jimmy Failson make HIM look good!) to of course Conan
By all right we should be talking about when will Conan retire from that show, and not that unfunniest and most revolting of all hosts
This is a fixed version of the above – something went wacky. Conan sure did get royally screwed by NBC, who went on to such vile things as hiring Trump for ‘The Assprentice’’ which literally helped him run for president and ruin this country, possibly forever.But also after they put Jay Leno back in, they then hired the ABSOLUTLEY WORST, MOST UNTALENTED host for ‘’The Tonight Show’ ever, the vile Jimmy Fallon, who also helped Trump on his way.His being on that show had sullied that name of the show and is an insult to all the previous hosts, from Steve Allen to Jack Paar toJohnny Carson to Jay Leno (Jimmy Failson makes HIM look good!) to of course ConanBy all rights we should be talking about when will Conan retire from that show, and not that unfunniest and most revolting of all hosts
Unfortunately he will lose all that money buying racehorses with lupus, and investing in a chain of Depression-era burger stands…
Poor Sona will still have to drive White Lightning.
AKA Sickle Cell Anemia
Is she spelling it Michell now, or was it really that way all along like Thwandwie Newton?
Great job by Conan/his people not having Earwolf own the podcast that they co-developed so he could make a ton of money.
it’s “Conan O’Brien needs a friend’, not ‘Earwolf needs a friend’. And Earwolf already got a lot of Sirius XM money if you read the article.
“it’s “Conan O’Brien needs a friend’, not ‘Earwolf needs a friend’.”
It’s an Earwolf podcast and Earwolf was sold recently. There’s not need to be a festering cunt about it.
None of the podcasts on the Earwolf network have Earwolf in the name. But they owned most of them.
Michell Obama
…really?
Mitchell!
Even his name says, “Is that a beer?”
“I like beer!”
You’re thinking of Michell Obultra.
ROWSDOWER!
“I wonder if there’s beer on the sun.”
Why would anyone want to do that with Mitchell?
BUZZ OFF, KID!
nice. better him than Joe Rogan.
That wouldn’t be enough money to get Rogan
I find it so weird that as technology has advanced, people are basically going back to radio for entertainment. I mean, the subject matter is different, but podcasts are basically old-time radio shows.Nothing wrong with it. Just weird.
I’m still trying to wrap my brain around how any podcast could be worth a hundred and fifty million dollars. Especially one that is just a one-on-one interview. I mean, I get that it’s for more than just one podcast, but still. The ad money from these things must be profoundly excessive.
I think it’s a bundle of a bunch of podcasts. I know Nicole Byer’s podcast is part of the Team Coco productions. There must be others.
Yeah, that makes more sense. If it’s about an umbrella of podcasts not necessarily all hosted by Conan, then that seems a little more balanced out. Sounds like they’re planning a whole network of shows.
I think it’s a joint venture with Mexican radio stations, as the deal also seems to include the radionovela “Voces de Pasión con Señor O’Brien”, presented by a mysterious hombre only known as ‘Conando’.
One-On-One on one interviews with a lot of repetitive padding with Sona and Matt.
The ‘padding’ is great. I think Gourley could make any podcast work.
I was going to say, honestly, the stuff with Sona and Gorley at the beginning and end are oftentimes the best part! I look forward to them just as much as the interview, and many times even more.
The Sona and Matt stuff is the best part of every episode.
YUP. 100%. I would listen to a whole hour of them every week.
Not if you’ve actually listened to OTR
Podcasts have proliferated because people have free time, but not necessarily free time to fully concentrate on a medium. This is coupled with the dearth of attention grabbing new music. So podcasts while folding laundry, podcasts while sweeping and dusting, podcasts on the treadmill, podcasts while on your daily walk. It’s finely attuned to the level of portability, low attention, and easy access, our modern lives find attractive.
It’s like people still reading books.
It never went away. Podcasts started when radio was dying out but plenty of people just transitioned from talk radio to podcasts over the last two decades.
Can’t watch a video driving a car..
Does this mean that only satellite radio subscribers will be able to listen to new episodes?
I would also like to know the answer to the question which has been asked by you!
I saw an article elsewhere— The Verge, maybe?— which said (not terribly explicitly, but better than nothing) that, at least for now, they’d still be available wherever they currently are available. (For instance I’ve been listening via the Earwolf website.)
Whether that changes, who knows, but I feel like it would be a terrible idea and total dick move for Sirius XM to make at Conan’s podcast available only through Sirius— which maybe makes it more likely than not, but hopefully that won’t happen.
it would be a terrible idea and total dick move for Sirius XM to make at Conan’s podcast available only through SiriusAgreed, but that hasn’t stopped Spotify from doing exactly that with many-to-most of Gimlet’s podcasts post-acquisition. It’s just a matter of time.
That would really bum me out. It’s my second favorite podcast and I look forward to it every week.
If SiriusXM thinks I’m going to buy a radio to listen to their product, they’re in for a surprise from the non-car-owning population.
There is a Sirius app that you can use on your phone, but you still have to pay the ridiculous subscription fee, for something that is currently free. I love his podcast but I’m not getting Sirius just for that, and I’m sure I’m not alone.
Agreed. I just looked at the prices. It looks like the tier you need is $18 a month. There is zero chance I am paying that. I absolutely love his podcast and I would be super bummed to lose it but I am not forking over almost 20 bucks a month for it.
My understanding is that the podcasts will still be available where they are now — but there will also be a Team Coco channel on SiriusXM as part of the deal, and obviously that would be for subscribers.
Screw Jay Leno..
Jay just bought another antique fire truck to dull his sadness.
Sad little clown…
He’s worth hundreds of millions of dollars. I’m sure he’s fine.
…but has he filled the emptiness gnawing at what’s left of his soul?
Hundreds. Of millions. Of dollars.
Lol.Listen, I need something to make me feel better than Jay Leno! He will always be a weasel.
If you need to search this hard for something that makes you feel as if you’re better than Jay Leno, chances are you’re not.
Oh I get it!This isn’t playful banter with some rando on the internet. You’re just a douche. Most likely a Jay Leno fan, known for their lack of a sense of humor. Worst indeed.Good day to you.
Oh I get it! You take this shit way too seriously.
I know you are but what am I.
Yeah, it’s all his fault Conan was only really popular for a while and then settled into his niche audience as all the numbers predicted would happen.
I’m wondering if Conan’s HBO Max show is still going to happen. Maybe he should stick to the podcasts anyway. Seems like an easier life.
I don’t know – I think they’ve already been repeating guests, and interviewing fans for whole episodes – which are just…not what I want to listen to. Any kind of television show may require more creativity and just more Anything, outside of a standard interview
The interviewing fans mid-week episodes are honestly better than the main episodes for the most part now.
interviewing fans in addition to, not in place of the regular episode. So not only are they usually fun, but it’s extra content! weird the other poster sees it as a negative.
Yeah, those fan episodes aren’t great.
Except for the one a couple weeks ago where the interviewed the woman who was doing some sort of job that escapes me now, but anyway she is using all these really dangerous tools and they were like, have you had any training with those and she was like, none whatsoever. And then they spent the next 15 minutes riffing about how she was going to lose all her fingers and her reactions were fucking hysterical. She was so nonchalant every time they brought it up. I was dying.
Now he’s got enough to buy that portrait of Kedakai, as god intended.
Anything that gets more Matt Gourley into the world is a good thing.
I had to stop listening to CNAF when he started to give more and more airing time to Sona. I really don’t get her. IBut I would have listened hours of Conan and Matt Gourley.
I know where I’m getting my vaccine information.
Chick Tracks?
It is strange given I don’t think his podcasts are all that great. Oh well, good for him.
To whomever it may concern,
I stopped listening to Stern when he became exclusive to Sirius. I stopped listening to Rogan and Armchair Expert when they became exclusive with Spotify. I’ll miss Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend if it goes exclusive. Hopefully it will stay widely available for I doubt I will stalk the show to some other platform.
None of this was/is out of rebellion, I just really like my iPod Classic and its (on-screen) ad free, detached-from-the-hivemind listening experience.
But what of “The Three Questions with Andy Richter”?! What of Richter!!!
*Scott Aukerman sighs and jumps into his pool in disgust*