In this Feb. 22, 2018, file photo, the Pandora logo appears above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
NEW YORK --
Subscription radio company SiriusXM says it's buying music streaming service Pandora Media Inc. in a stock deal valued at about $3.5 billion that'll allow it to expand its service beyond cars and into homes and other mobile areas.
SiriusXM Holdings Inc. has more than 36 million subscribers in North America, while Pandora has more than 70 million monthly active users.
Pandora stockholders will receive 1.44 newly issued SiriusXM shares for each Pandora share they own. Pandora has a "go-shop" period in which it can solicit other offers from third parties.
Both companies' boards have approved the transaction, which is expected to close in 2019's first quarter. It still needs approval from Pandora shareholders.
Shares of Pandora, based in Oakland, California, jumped more than 8 percent in Monday premarket trading. SiriusXM's stock declined 4 percent.
Nikki Glaser stands on the field after NFL football game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Denver Broncos, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
What do Tom Brady, Taylor Swift and comedy have to do with learning about football?
In the case of Nikki Glaser, it is all intertwined.
Glaser has become a familiar face to football fans this season. Her breakthrough performance at the Tom Brady Roast on May 5 paved the way for five appearances on Amazon Prime Video's "Thursday Night Football" postgame show.
Before last Thursday's game between the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers, Glaser said doing her "Late Hits" segment was a no-brainer following her success at the Brady roast.
"The football audience is kind of familiar with me already. It's one that is OK with me not knowing every detail about football or expecting me to be an expert about it because I was who I was on the Brady Roast. I kind of admitted to not really following football that much," Glaser said. "And I became a fan of Tom Brady and the sport in doing it through that process. So then I was like, 'Let me just keep learning about football through joking about it.' And that was kind of my goal."
Glaser admits her knowledge of football is not all the way there yet. Still, it is further ahead than it was a year ago when she started casually watching Chiefs games due to Swift's relationship with Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce.
And mostly then, it was to see when Swift appeared on screen.
However, Glaser decided to start learning more about the game, which she compared to trying to learn a new language.
"I went my whole life putting on blinders because I was just scared to look stupid if I tried to learn. I always thought football fans would be really judgmental and cruel about my lack of knowledge. But they're not," Glaser said. "They're eager for you to understand and... Read More
