SiriusXM Turns Sports Into a $5 Standalone Subscription
Jul 30, 2026SiriusXM has announced Sports Pass, a new subscription that will give sports fans access to its full sports lineup for $5 per month.
Launching September 1, Sports Pass will be available to new U.S. subscribers for $5 per month or $49 per year. It will include every live game and event SiriusXM carries, league channels, local and national sports talk, analysis and podcasts.
The plan gives SiriusXM a lower-priced way to reach sports fans who may not want its broader mix of music, news and entertainment. Sports will remain included in the company’s larger subscription plans.
The launch comes as subscriber performance improves
SiriusXM is introducing Sports Pass as its core subscriber business shows signs of improvement.
The company ended the second quarter with approximately 33 million total subscribers. It added 22,000 self-pay subscribers, its first positive second-quarter self-pay performance in four years.
Monthly self-pay churn fell to approximately 1.4%, the lowest level in the company’s history. Subscriber revenue increased 1% to $1.51 billion, while average revenue per user rose 1% to $15.32.
SiriusXM is working to improve subscriber growth and the value of its existing relationships. Sports can contribute to both.
The company calls sports one of its strongest competitive advantages and an increasingly important source of engagement. It says more subscribers are listening to sports than ever before.
Sports can bring in subscribers and give them a reason to stay
Sports Pass allows SiriusXM to sell that strength on its own.
The $5 plan is built for sports fans who might not consider paying for the company’s broader service. The September launch also coincides with the start of the college football and NFL seasons, when the appeal of live sports audio should be especially clear.
SiriusXM is strengthening the sports experience across its wider subscription lineup too. On September 1, it will add 23 local Audacy sports stations and ESPN LA 710. The new stations include WFAN in New York, WEEI in Boston and 94WIP in Philadelphia.
Sports Pass will include home and away broadcasts for every NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL game carried by SiriusXM. Subscribers will also get college sports, auto racing, golf, soccer, tennis and other events.
Subscribers can listen through the SiriusXM app and in the car, although some local stations and team-specific broadcasts will require the app or a vehicle equipped with SiriusXM 360L.
For subscribers in SiriusXM’s broader plans, that expanded lineup can encourage more frequent listening and add another reason to keep the service. SiriusXM hasn’t shown that sports programming reduces churn, but it clearly sees the category as a way to deepen engagement.
Why SiriusXM is limiting the plan to new subscribers
SiriusXM currently charges $11.99 per month for its All Music plan, with sports available as an $8 monthly add-on. Its All Access plan costs $25.99 per month.
Sports Pass offers the full sports lineup for $5 per month. SiriusXM is lowering the entry price by creating a narrower subscription rather than discounting its broader service.
At launch, Sports Pass will be limited to new subscribers. SiriusXM hasn’t said whether current subscribers will eventually be allowed to move to the plan or whether Sports Pass will be used to introduce customers to higher-priced packages.
The eligibility restriction may help SiriusXM reach a new audience while reducing the immediate risk that existing customers will replace a more expensive plan with Sports Pass.
There’s still a packaging question. Selling a highly valued part of the service for $5 could change how prospective customers view the price of SiriusXM’s broader plans.
Insider Take
Sports Pass puts one of SiriusXM’s strongest content categories to work in two ways.
The standalone plan can bring in sports fans who want live games and sports talk without paying for a larger entertainment package. Within SiriusXM’s broader plans, an expanded sports lineup can encourage more listening and give subscribers another reason to stay.
The customer appeal is easy to understand. One clear use case. A low price. A launch timed to the start of football season.
For subscription executives, the question is how SiriusXM manages the relationship between the focused offer and its larger packages.
A narrower subscription can reach customers the broader product misses and become the beginning of a larger relationship. Sports Pass will test whether SiriusXM can create that new front door without lowering the perceived value of the subscriptions around it.
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