XM and Sirius Merger Official: Programming Info and More

The official merger announcement we mentioned earlier today just came over the wire, with some interesting revelations in terms of programming and technology. The new combined company will offer more channels and allow subscribers to choose what stations they want, a la carte. There’s no mention of whether or not popular channels like Howard Stern’s will have a premium fee.

There was also no mention of how current hardware will operate under the new setup, or when existing customers get to choose their custom lineups, but the new company will continue to develop hardware for retail sale and car manufacturers. Subscribers have some time to think about it, though; the merger looks to be complete by the end of 2007.

Source: Sirius

Comments

This should be interesting. I've really wanted to get a nav system with traffic updates, but I prefer Sirius to XM. XM Traffic subscription is required for most aftermarket nav systems with traffic updates, so maybe I can get my Sirius channels AND do XM Traffic updates by the end of the year...

Since both companies having been losing money since incepation maybe they could figure out how to make a profit. Therefore, encouraging competition. I personally don't think the merger should be blocked since both lose money. I believe also that people with mp3 players, and ipods able to plug into the stero these days as a way around it. HD radios also seem like a good option but haven't hit prime time yet. Personally I am cheap and listen to ad-radio, and don't need to pay another subscription fee to someone else.