Social Rocket
SiriusXM has secured the advertising rights to "Giggly Squad" for four years – and is buying access to far more than a podcast. The format of Hannah Berner and Paige DeSorbo is now an audio show, a video offering, a social media brand and a live event all at once. It is exactly this combination that makes it interesting for advertisers: clips help win over an audience, longer episodes keep them engaged, and events let brands reach them in person.
One deal for audio, video and new shows
The official agreement of 17 September 2026 transfers to SiriusXM the exclusive worldwide advertising rights to the audio and video content of "Giggly Squad". Existing episodes remain available on the usual podcast platforms and YouTube. For 2027, the partners have announced further formats.
This is the real difference from classic podcast sponsorship: SiriusXM is not just marketing an ad slot before or during an episode, but bundling offerings around an established creator brand. The Digiday report of 2 November refers to an industry estimate of around 160 million dollars in contract value; SiriusXM itself has not disclosed a sum.
"Giggly Squad" started 2020 as Instagram Live conversations. Tours, a book and large arena shows now belong to the business. That the brand also fills several dates at Madison Square Garden makes clear how far the path from phone entertainment can lead to an owned entertainment IP.
Social clips are the shop window – the show is the product
The decisive growth question is how a chance video in the feed becomes a regular viewer and listener. A US study by Sounds Profitable from July 2026 offers one approach: 89 percent of surveyed podcast listeners see podcast clips on social media at least occasionally. Of clip viewers, 33 percent say this often or always turns them into regular listeners of a show. These are self-reported figures, but they show how important discovery outside the podcast app itself has become.
Consumption is changing too: according to the Podcast Landscape Report 2026, 44 percent of US podcast users watched a video podcast within a week, up from 40 percent the year before. Audio is not disappearing; rather, the same creator can build their relationship with the audience across several situations.
The strategy recalls the transformation of the Wall Street Journal from an audio podcast into a cross-platform show. With "Giggly Squad", the strong personal bond with two hosts is an additional marketing factor.
What brands and creators can take away
In future, sponsors should itemise deals into separate services: podcast integrations, YouTube video, social clips, usage rights, possible live presence and the measurement of each placement. For example, it matters how many people actually tune into the longer episode after a social touchpoint and which content generates recurring attention.
Creators, for their part, should pay attention to which marketing rights they grant exclusively, how new formats are included in the contract, and who has access to video excerpts and follow-up productions for commercial use. That contract details are increasingly decisive in large creator deals is also shown by our article on rights and remuneration models in Hollywood collaborations.
New advertising offerings are emerging in parallel: Substack makes podcast archives marketable with dynamic advertising, while Morning Brew brings creator media under a shared marketing structure. The lesson for German publishers, podcast hosts and agencies is concrete: whoever connects a format across audio, video, social and live sells not just reach, but a recognisable media offering with several revenue streams.
Sources: SiriusXM press release, 17. September 2026, Sounds Profitable: The Front Door, July 2026, Podcast Landscape Report 2026, Digiday, 2. November 2026.