The new channel, slated to air in the first quarter of the year, will originate from Los Angeles with remotes from the Playboy Mansion and elsewhere.
Hugh Hefner, Playmates and the magazine’s editors will all have a regular presence on the channel that is scheduled to include four times the content of XM’s.
“[Playboy] joined Sirius so it could create compelling original programming that it hasn't been able to do anywhere else before,” Sirius spokesman Scott Greenstein said.
Sirius is hoping Playboy’s cornerstone will be its new morning show, where Playboy editors will report the latest buzz on everything from celebrities to music to sports. The program also will feature the segment “Ask Hef Anything,” where the Playboy founder will answer listeners’ questions.
Programming also will include the daily “Playmate Hour,” the live call-in show “Afternoon Delight,” “Sexy Stories” and “Night Calls Radio,” with Tiffany Granath and Christy Canyon. Both Granath and Canyon host the popular Playboy TV version.
Sirius said it expects the pace of subscriber additions to increase in 2006, as the company looks to capitalize on exclusive deals with other programming such as the “Howard Stern Show.”
The company, which trails XM in total subscribers, expects to end 2006 at 6 million subscribers, an increase of 2.7 million, from 3.3 million at the end of 2005. The company added 2.3 million subscribers in 2005, including 1.1 million additions in the fourth quarter — well ahead of its target of 825,000 subscribers.
Howard Stern, who debuts on Sirius on Monday, was lured to the satellite radio network with a five-year, $500 million package. The shock jock and his agent Don Buchwald also were issued 34.4 million shares of stock deliverable in December 2010. They could get the shares earlier if the company beats certain subscriber targets.
Playboy left XM Satellite in September. Industry officials confided with XBiz that Playboy saw listener results as "disappointing" through the years.
XM subscribers paid an extra $2.99 a month on top of the monthly subscription rate to get the channel
Sirius' monthly subscription costs $12.95 a month; Playboy content will be without charge, but subscribers will have to opt in by telephone or email to receive the channel.
