SiriusXM becomes YouTube’s exclusive U.S. audio ad sales partner

SiriusXM Media is taking over exclusive U.S. advertising sales for YouTube audio inventory, a move that turns podcasts and music listening on the platform into a distinct buying channel rather than a side effect of video viewing. The deal, set to begin this fall, gives advertisers access to guaranteed audio ad impressions at scale for the first time, with YouTube-style targeting and measurement built into the buy.

The partnership matters because it formalizes a new way to monetize attention on YouTube. SiriusXM said a joint study with Edison Research found more than 212 million monthly listeners in the United States engage with audio-first content or environments on YouTube, a sizable audience for a format that has often been sold through video logic. YouTube has also said it had more than 1 billion monthly active viewers of podcast content globally in February 2025, and that viewers watched over 700 million hours of podcasts on living room devices in October 2025, up from 400 million hours a year earlier. Those numbers underscore how much podcast consumption has moved into the connected-TV environment, where audio and video now overlap.

For SiriusXM, the arrangement deepens its role as a broker of digital audio monetization. The company said its combined monthly audience is about 170 million listeners across SiriusXM, Pandora, streaming, podcasts and related ad solutions. Its AdsWizz ad tech platform will power the buying experience, tying the sales agreement to the company’s existing audio infrastructure. Scott Walker, SiriusXM’s chief advertising revenue officer, said, “audio is a powerful medium for listeners, creators and advertisers.” Romana Pawar, senior director of product at YouTube Ads, said YouTube is a primary destination for audio-first content and that the deal will make it easier for advertisers to reach “those high-attention moments.”

The agreement also reflects a broader shift in platform power. YouTube is increasingly packaging podcasts and music as premium ad inventory, while SiriusXM is positioning itself as the specialist that can sell that inventory more effectively than a general video sales force. That division of labor gives YouTube a monetization partner with audio expertise and gives SiriusXM a larger role in a market where streaming habits are blurring the lines between listening and viewing. SiriusXM has already used similar logic elsewhere, including an exclusive ad sales deal tied to YouTube storyteller MrBallen’s podcast and channel, signaling a bigger push to control more of the ad value flowing through creator-led audio.