SiriusXM Holdings has turned to a streaming veteran to lead its next chapter. The company named Anjali Sud as its next chief executive, effective January 1, 2027, replacing Jennifer Witz after a transition period.

Sud joins SiriusXM from Tubi, the free ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox Corp, where she served as chief executive. She has also been a SiriusXM board member since March 2025, giving her a close view of the company’s strategy before taking the top job.

A leadership handover

Jennifer Witz, who has led SiriusXM since 2021 and worked at the company for more than two decades, will step down as chief executive at the end of December 2026. She will remain in an advisory role through the end of 2027 to help manage the transition.

The move follows a period of pressure for SiriusXM. The satellite radio broadcaster has struggled to reignite subscriber growth as the car market slows and listeners migrate toward on-demand music and podcasts. In the third quarter, advertising revenue held steady at $456 million, while Pandora, the streaming service SiriusXM acquired in 2019, lost 2.75 million monthly active users.

Why Sud?

Sud’s background is almost entirely in digital media. She became chief executive of Tubi in 2023 and helped grow the service at a time when free, ad-supported streaming was gaining traction. Fox reported that Tubi’s revenue rose 35% in its most recent fiscal quarter, a rare bright spot in a competitive streaming landscape.

Her appointment signals that SiriusXM wants to accelerate its transformation from a satellite radio company into a broader audio and streaming platform. The company has been investing in podcasts, exclusive content and its streaming app, but it has yet to convince investors that it can compete on equal terms with Spotify, Apple and Amazon.

Timing and context

The change also comes shortly after Fox completed its acquisition of Roku and folded its digital assets into a new unit called Fox Digital Platforms. Mike Bidgoli has been named to succeed Sud at Tubi, allowing her to move to SiriusXM without overseeing two roles.

SiriusXM's stock has struggled in recent years as investors worry about the long-term appeal of satellite radio, especially among younger consumers who have never paid for the service. The company has tried to offset those concerns by bundling streaming subscriptions and expanding into used cars, but growth has remained elusive.

What comes next

Sud will take over a company with a large subscriber base and strong cash flow, but also with strategic questions about what audio will look like in the next decade. Her task will be to modernise SiriusXM's product, attract younger listeners, and prove that a business built around car radios can thrive in a mobile-first world.

The transition gives her a year to work alongside Witz before taking full control. For investors, the key question is whether a leader from the streaming video world can apply the same growth playbook to audio, and whether SiriusXM's audience is ready to follow.