Legendary talk radio host Howard Stern has inked a new deal with satellite radio company SiriusXM, extending his contract to host The Howard Stern Show with the company for five more years, and own the rights to Stern-produced SiriusXM content for the next twelve. There will be no changes to the show, which will continue to broadcast for four hours each weekday morning.
No specific details regarding compensation have been made public, but Stern’s previous contract was netting the show $80 million per year, and it would seem likely that similar terms were re-negotiated, with added fees to be paid for the licensing deal. Stern’s last contract was set to expire at the end of 2015.
“This morning I am very very pleased to announce and excited to announce that we’ll be here for the next five years,” Stern said on his Tuesday radio show.
SiriusXM also included plans to release video content in the new deal, which will include live video recordings of The Howard Stern Show, as well as other special content. For his part, Stern says he is extremely satisfied with his partnership with the company, and announced that they are collaborating on a new video app.
“I am living a dream here on satellite radio, and [SiriusXM CEO] Jim Meyer is my life partner, and the baby we are about to have is our new streaming video app,” he said.
The host and the network have not announced when fans can expect the new video option, but it should hit app stores for iOS and Android by the end of 2016.
One of the most popular radio programs in the U.S., The Howard Stern Show has been running since 1986. A morning talk radio show that features celebrity interviews and news, the show was syndicated to over 20 million listeners at its peak on terrestrial radio. Since 2005, the show has been exclusively airing on satellite radio, which hovers around 20 million subscribers. Video streams of the show were available from 2006-2013 via a subscription-based digital cable channel.
With the host recently signed on for another five years, it makes sense that now is the time executives at SiriusXM are looking to collaborate on a new streaming video option. But, until Stern and SiriusXM announce a release date for the app, fans of the show will get what they want on air from Stern: more of the same.
