It’s being hailed as a holiday season with the launch of the most festive channels to date. Indeed, for Sirius XM subscribers, some 26 ad-free channels have been created for those who need a little Christmas and some Hanukkah tunes in their repertoire between now and the holidays.
Accessing the channels, however, won’t be as simple as dialing up a channel on an in-dash tuner.
With the holiday season kicking off for the satellite radio and online streaming service this Wednesday (11/8), accessibility for many of the offerings will be exclusive to the Sirius XM app.
For the publicly traded company, that’s not just a yuletide audio bonus. Instead, it’s another way for Sirius XM to get those who enjoy its audio channels while on the road to consume them elsewhere, via a smart speaker or smartphone app that has long offered exclusive streaming channels that go beyond the offerings one can access in a car, van or truck.
Take, for instance, three new channels debuting this year: “Trans-Siberian Orchestra Radio,” “Smokey’s Holiday Soul Town” and “Sleep Christmas.”
The latter channel, allowing listeners to “drift off to meditative versions of classic Christmas melodies and stay well-rested throughout the holidays,” will not actually bear a channel number. Rather, it will be available only via the SiriusXM app from November 8 through December 26.
Likewise, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra audio choice is only available on the SiriusXM app between November 8 through December 26.
For the Smokey Robinson-hosted holiday channel, availability will be on both the SiriusXM app and on Channel 74. But, this offering won’t arrive until December 6, and will conclude its airings on December 26.
Meanwhile, a host of offerings will be app-only, as follows:
- Cool Jazz Christmas: November 8 through December 26.
- Holiday Chill-Out: November 8 through December 26.
- Holiday Instrumentals: November 8 through December 26.
- Holidays with The Tenors: A CanCon-friendly offering designed for Sirius XM Canada consumers featuring songs for Hanukkah and Christmas, comedy and the stories about the songs on their new album, Christmas with The Tenors. It is available November 21 through January 7 (owing to Three Kings Day).
- Jingle Jamz: A mix of R&B and Hip-Hop artists singing and rapping about the holidays. Available November 8 through December 26.
- Kids Christmas: November 8 through December 26.
- Mannheim Steamroller Radio: November 8 through December 26.
- Navidad: Latin holiday music and traditional sounds, available November 8 through January 8.
- Noël Incontournable: Holiday music channel featuring Francophone Christmas classics and contemporary holiday hits from the 1960s to today with music from Ginette Reno, Bruno Pelletier and Laurence Nerbonne. Available year-round on the SiriusXM app and catering to French Canadians.
- Real Jazz Holiday: Bop and swing with jazz masters like Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and the Count Basie Orchestra and contemporary acts including Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall, Samara Joy and Christian McBride. Available November 8 through December 26.
- Rockin’ Xmas: November 8 through December 26.
- 70s/80s Holidays: November 8 through December 26.
Meanwhile, Radio Hanukkah, which in past years enjoyed an on-air channel for a limited time, will now be exclusive to the SiriusXM app, and only between December 6 through December 16. It is a repeat of 2022.
TEN CHANNELS, ONE HOLIDAY
As was the case in 2022, 10 Christmas-themed channels will be available as omni-accessible audio choices across the holiday season. However, when they’ll appear on Sirius XM tuners varies from app access. Including the aforementioned Holiday Soul, none of the following Christmas channels will be on a dedicated Sirius XM channel for another month:
Acoustic Christmas: A singer-songwriter offering. Available on the SiriusXM app November 8 through December 26 and on Channel 17 beginning Christmas Eve and ending December 26.
Christmas Spirit: Contemporary Christian artists with Worship music tied to the holiday. Available on the SiriusXM app November 8 through December 26 and on Channel 63 beginning December 6 through December 26.
Country Christmas: Available on the SiriusXM app November 8 through December 26 and on Channel 58 beginning December 6 through December 26.
Holiday Pops: On the SiriusXM app from November 8 to December 26 and on Channel 78 between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day only.
So, what can Christmas music lovers access as of today on their OEM receiver?
- Holly: Modern holiday hits featuring songs by Mariah Carey, Michael Bublé, Dean Martin, Kelly Clarkson, Pentatonix, Josh Groban, John Legend, Brenda Lee, Train, Gwen Stefani and more. It is available on the SiriusXM app November 8 through January 8 and on Channel 79 November 8 through December 26.
- Hallmark Channel Radio: Available on the SiriusXM app and Channel 107 November 8 through December 26.
- Holiday Traditions: Traditional holiday songs by artists such as Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Doris Day, Ray Conniff, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole. Available on the SiriusXM app year-round and Channel 71 November 8 through December 26.
- Jolly Christmas: Upbeat, energetic holiday hits from The Chipmunks and Gene Autry to Mariah Carey and Jose Feliciano. Available on the SiriusXM app and Channel 105 November 8 through December 26.
Lastly, New Year’s Nation is back as a party music choice to ring in 2024. It will be available on the SiriusXM app and on Channel 79 from December 27, 2023 through January 3, 2024.
