Sirius-XM channel merge begins next week
I've expressed my lackluster opinion of satellite radio before, but it has a lot of passionate fans, particularly people who spend a lot of time in the car and enjoy hearing music, as well as news and sports.
The combination of Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio has more than 19 million paying customers and still expects subscriber growth, even in the worst economic climate in 80 years, though it's warned that the drop-off in car sales could hurt.
Sirius and XM combined operations in May, and according to Rolling Stone magazine, the two systems will begin merging their channels beginning Wednesday.
There's been no official word from the companies on what the new channel lineup will look like, but apparently, many music stations will be merged--there's no need for two stations featuring music from the 1950s, for example. Somebody on Saturday posted a purported lineup for existing XM subscribers on the Digital Radio Central forum. Take it with many grains of salt, though it apparently maps somewhat to an advertisement that appeared in USA Today.
There will also be new subscription offerings for each system--for example, XM subscribers can pay about $4 extra per month to get Sirius content like Howard Stern and the NFL.
Apparently, all existing XM radios will be able to get this Best of Sirius package, while only the recently released Sirius Starmate 5 will be able to get the comparable Best of XM package. The Starmate 5 will support a la carte options as well, letting users pick their favorite 50 or 100 stations for a lower monthly fee.
An aside: for XM fans who want a portable receiver, be sure to check out CNET's Friday review of the Pioneer Inno XMP3.
Matt Rosoff is an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, where he covers Microsoft's consumer products and corporate news. He's written about the technology industry since 1995, and reviewed the first Rio MP3 player for CNET.com in 1998. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network. Disclosure. You can follow Matt on Twitter @mattrosoff. 
Current Sirius radios are able to subscribe to the "Best of XM" package. I know that because I am one of those subscribers.
With the increase in rates, reduced sound quality (notice they now say "crystal clear digital" and not "CD quality"), and now a major shift in programing I suspect (with todays economy) a lot of XM subscribers are going to use this as the excuse they have been looking for to drop the service.
I myself recently sold my portable XM radio due to the over 1000 internet radio stations my new cell phone can receive.
i guess I just don't get it... Isn't this what iPods are for? Besides, as far as I know neither Sirius nor XM stream episodes of Bill Maher...
- by eckertown November 18, 2008 3:44 AM PST
- Satellite radio has truly become a product that does not inspire half-hearted users. Those who use and enjoy satellite radio do it with a passion, and seem to listen to it almost exclusively. While this creates a great and loyal consumer base, these types of customers are wary of change, especially when it comes to fraternizing, even merging with the ?enemy.? Sirius users chose Sirius for a reason, and XM users chose XM for a reason. I think this is why I sense a lot of discontentment among the posters here. Regardless of the reactions of some of the users, the reasoning behind the merge was sound. It does not make sense for there to be two different 50?s stations for example. Those channels that are unique can now be purchased a la carte, if the user so chooses. They now have a lower subscription price as well, so there are a few extra dollars freed-up for possible extra features. Often those who are vocal are the only ones who care.
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(23 Comments)The merge between XM and Sirius, however was not all encompassing, they remain, in some points of view two very different services. The inability of both to make a profit necessitates more than a casual relationship between the two. They need to truly merge services and products and customer bases to create a solidified company, or else they will not survive against all of the other options that media consumers have today. It is possible that this is where Sirius XM is heading, but the move needs to be sooner rather than later to ensure that music lovers have the variety of options that they have enjoyed for so long.