Sirius to move beyond audio

Sirius Satellite Radio plans to introduce services such as stock quotes, sports scores, music videos and cartoons in the second half of next year.

The planned expansion is the result of new technology that increases Sirius' network capacity by roughly 25 percent, the company said Monday. For consumers, this will mean additional audio channels, as well as video and data services.

"Our new modulation technology will use a very innovative approach to increase the number of bits we transmit through our satellite and terrestrial repeater networks," Jim Meyer, president of operations and sales at Sirius, said in a statement.

The new technology requires upgrades to Sirius' satellite uplink and terrestrial repeater system, but the company notes that it should not affect existing Sirius radios. Customers who wish to add the services once they become available will need to buy Sirius' next-generation satellite radios, said Jim Collins, a company spokesman.

Prices on the premium services and next-generation radios are not yet available.

Sirius' announcement comes as an increasing number of automobile manufacturers are adding satellite radios as a factory option to their cars.

Sirius competes head-to-head with XM Satellite Radio, the market leader. Sirius has more than 1.5 million subscribers, according to its first-quarter earnings report. XM announced in May that it had exceeded 4 million subscribers.