Brief:

• Exercise equipment maker NordicTrack signed on as a sponsor of SiriusXM and Pandora's audio programming for the NFL season, which includes a cross-platform initiative called "Road to the End Zone." The platform lets brands sponsor pro football talk on SiriusXM and game-time music programming on Pandora, according to a press release.
• SiriusXM will air play-by-play broadcasts of every NFL team, and provide full-time talk about the league on its NFL Radio channel. The channel's programming lineup this year includes a weekly show called "Silver & Black Radio" dedicated to the Las Vegas Raiders that debuts today and runs every Wednesday.
• The programming gives marketers an opportunity to reach homebound fans who are unable to attend games due to the coronavirus pandemic. Hall of Famer Brett Favre will return as host of "The SiriusXM Blitz," while former NFL wide receiver Torrey Smith and former quarterback Jordan Palmer will join the broadcaster's roster as co-hosts of "The Opening Drive" with SiriusXM's Solomon Wilcots, per the announcement.

Insight:

SiriusXM and its Pandora audio streaming unit are gearing up for this week's start to the regular NFL season with "Road to the End Zone," which is notable for giving advertisers like NordicTrack a way to reach different audiences on its platforms. While SiriusXM's channel lineup includes live games and talk programming, Pandora has music and podcasts to reach the growing audience for streamed audio content.

For NordicTrack, the SiriusXM and Pandora partnership allows the exercise equipment maker to reach homebound consumers who are unable or unwilling to attend gyms because of the pandemic. Lockdowns have caused a surge in exercise equipment sales in the U.S.

With fans unable to attend games during the pandemic, they're more likely to listen to play-by-play broadcasts or watch games on TV this season. SiriusXM and Pandora can deliver that audience to advertisers with their mix of programming for football fans, or people who want to listen to music during games. While it's not clear how many people will tune in for games, expectations are high for this week's start of the regular NFL season after the league saw record viewership for its yearly draft of college players in April.

The cross-platform initiative follows Pandora's earlier efforts to provide advertisers with innovative ways to connect with listeners. In July, Unilever's Dove, Anheuser-Busch and KFC were among the brands that participated in an expanded test of Pandora's interactive ads that respond to voice commands. Pandora had introduced the format late last year, letting listeners respond by saying "yes" to learn more about a product or service. Almost three quarters (72%) of listeners in a Pandora customer survey described the voice ads as easy to use.