- Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway doubled down on investments in SiriusXM. It comes as the company announced a full-year net loss for 2024, as well as a host of new launches under Alex Cooper’s Unwell network.
SiriusXM is going all in for influencer podcasting, and Buffett clearly likes what he sees.
In August the media brand announced an $125 million deal with Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper, who has built her podcasting empire into the Unwell network.
Earlier this week Cooper and SiriusXM revealed a number of new daily podcasts as well as a music channel.
And it seems the moves have garnered the attention of none other than Berkshire Hathaway, which now owns more than 10% of the business after buying more than 2.3 million shares in the space of a week.
In an SEC filing seen by Fortune, Berkshire Hathaway revealed it purchased 751,141 common stocks on January 30 at $22.79 a share—a purchase worth $17.12 million.
A day later, Berkshire spent another near-$20 million on 840,000 more shares.
On Monday morning, Buffett was back, buying a further 717,000 shares, bringing his total spend to approximately $54 million.
Berkshire’s shopping spree boosted SiriusXM’s share price by 10% in the last five days, now sitting at just under $26 a share.
By the end of trading on Monday, Berkshire, therefore, owned 119,776,692 shares in SiriusXM, representing more than a 35% stake in the business per MarketWatch.
The media company has become something of a forgotten relic since the turn of the 21st century.
Despite it hosting names like Howard Stern and podcasts from Kevin Hart and Conan O’Brien, Sirius’s share price hasn’t hit more than $100 since December 2001.
That’s a stark contrast to its performance in the late 1990s, when it traded between $138 and $594 a share.
Berkshire’s purchase also comes amid a somewhat downcast earnings call at the end of January.
SiriusXM reported a full-year net loss of $2.08 billion following a non-cash hit of $3.36 billion in Q3 2024. The loss was the result of an assessment of the fair value of the company’s goodwill based on a sustained lower share price.
CEO Jennifer Witz said: “At the end of 2024, we took significant steps to refocus on SiriusXM’s core strengths and enhance operational efficiency. By prioritizing our core in-car subscription business, leveraging our streaming capabilities, and growing our leadership in ad-supported audio, we are well-positioned to deliver long-term value.”
What is the “Unwell” world?
Buffett’s renewed interest in SiriusXM means the 94-year-old Oracle of Omaha is taking steps closer to Cooper’s Unwell network—a media haven for Gen Z.
The network is home to the likes of influencers Alix Earle’s Hot Mess podcast, Madeline Argy’s Pretty Lonesome podcast, and the Boyfriend Material show with reality TV star Harry Jowsey.
But in addition to hosting live shows and events under her brand, Cooper—the most listened-to female podcaster—announced a number of new formats coming to SiriusXM next week.
The Unwell On Air channel will be hosted on the SiriusXM app, featuring live daily programming. This includes two new shows: The Daily Dirty hosted by Sequoia Holmes, Fiona Shea, and Hannah Kosh; and Dialed In, hosted by Rachel Friedman and Montain.
Under the deal inked this summer Cooper, 30, is also launching Unwell Music, a mixtape channel offering “a high-energy mix that provides the perfect mood-based soundtrack for listeners throughout their day, enhanced by Alex’s personal commentary and behind-the-scenes stories.”