Sirius and XM merger approved by FCC, extreme partying commences

In a somewhat unsurprising move, the FCC has approved the merger of Sirius and XM after protracted -- and incredibly boring -- multi-year negotiations. The Federal Communication Commission decided tonight to allow a deal that will bring the two satellite radio providers together, creating a combined subscriber base of roughly 18 million users. The deal isn't without catches, however, with the Commission stating that the companies must cap prices for three years following the merger, allow subscriber choice on content, and lower fees for channel packages. FCC head Kevin Martin seemed pleased with the final outcome, stating, "Consumers will get to enjoy the best of the programming on both services." You know who wasn't so stoked? Clear Channel.

[lordofthedirectrix @ Jul 25th 2008 11:33PM]

This is great. I love my Sirius :)

[deyanimay @ Jul 26th 2008 5:28AM]

@ jason
Stop putting that video link in all your posts. Just because your parents don't love you doesn't mean you have to waste our time.

[collegekid13 @ Jul 25th 2008 11:35PM]

time for me to buy some X-Sirius

[Keaton @ Jul 26th 2008 12:03AM]

OOO that sounds yummy!

[raize221 @ Aug 5th 2008 7:19PM]

Don't you mean SiriuX?

[Seth @ Jul 25th 2008 11:35PM]

Yes! Just in time for NFL season. But what will the name be? SiriusX? XMius? Microhoo? :-P

[Seth @ Jul 25th 2008 11:36PM]

You my friend, have just become a part of the exclusive "Epic Fail" Club. Please, step right this way to redeem your prize...

[JON BLAST @ Jul 25th 2008 11:37PM]

About fucking time. It's really a travesty that it took this long. It just goes to show that the ammount of fighting that went on, the ridiculous restrictions, and the massive ammount of money spent by the lobbyist from the NAB, go to show that terrestrial radio is a black hole of uninteresting, uninspired, bland, lame DJ stunting crap.

God bless America, and fuck the NAB, ClearChannel, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

[Eric @ Jul 25th 2008 11:51PM]

Yes yes it is all very exciting, but what will it do for my stock prices?

[geekout2 @ Jul 26th 2008 12:39AM]

I'm just surprised by the amount of "m's"

[Eric @ Jul 26th 2008 8:21AM]

@TopaZ

The satellite spectrum is regulated, just like cell phones and everything else. The FCC set up the direct broadcast audio spectrum in the late 1980s with the idea that there would be 2 bands available, 1 for each of the two companies that would be in competition with each other.

The only real mistake I see is that the FCC didn't specify a transmission standard, so that XM radios don't work with Sirius' system and vice versa. I have a feeling that sat radio would have been much more popular if they would have specified a standard, so that consumers weren't tied to a specific company just because the factory installed stereo couldn't receive the other one. See also: The US mobile phone industry.

[TopaZ @ Jul 26th 2008 11:50AM]

@Eric:

The frequencies assigned to satellite radio are 2.310 to 2.360, which is enough room for MORE THAN TWO transmissions. Not to mention, when the hardware merge is complete XM and Sirius will consolidate into one frequency, leaving yet another one open for a competitor to potentially enter the market.

Thus, we have a "circumstantial monopoly," which means only one company HAPPENS to be in the market at the time, which is the polar opposite of a regulatory monopoly, where only one company is ALLOWED to be in the market.

[TVGenius @ Jul 26th 2008 3:10PM]

@TopaZ: They're not making them give up any spectrum, but as it is now, each of them has 1/4 of the allotted SDARS spectrum, so (albeit unlikely) there's still space for another competitor.

[Travis @ Jul 25th 2008 11:38PM]

hello monopoly

[Josh @ Jul 25th 2008 11:52PM]

in the end, consumers will ultimately pay the price. The price cap will expire and there will be no competition, no options, and a lethargic monopolist more than willing to take your money. This is exactly what the FCC is in place to protect us from. This is a sad day.

[ben @ Jul 26th 2008 12:03AM]

They still have to make their product desirable for the 99% of Americans that don't have satellite radio, and they still have to compete with the similar services of traditional radio, HD radio, and online radio. That should keep the prices low.

[youngcalihottie @ Jul 26th 2008 12:40AM]

just because there will be one unified sat radio company doesnt mean there is no other competition. they still have to compete with free services like am, fm, and also HD radio. not to mention streaming radio and daps. i have a couple friends who just bluetooth streaming radio from their phone to their car stereos. personally i just bluetooth my mp3s to the car. sat has to compete with all these other forms of audio entertainment, most of which dont require monthly subscriptions.

[TopaZ @ Jul 26th 2008 12:49AM]

and @Josh:

For the 17th time, a monopoly is CONTROL of exclusivity. Cable television, for instance, where no one is ALLOWED to run cable in your neighborhood except your designated carrier.

Any company in the world could launch a satellite tomorrow and join the satellite radio market.

[eb @ Jul 26th 2008 12:52AM]

Your a idiot. Its competition is FM, and online streaming radio. Both free by the way.

[david @ Jul 26th 2008 2:00AM]

Josh, you're an idiot.

Explain how this is a monopoly, is satellite radio somehow stealing my cds via mini UFO's. What about FM, AM, HD radio, and mp3s? Do those all just disappear with this merger?

Get off your anti-capitalism high horse and grow a set.

[david @ Jul 26th 2008 2:02AM]

Oh, and Travis, what I said applies to you too.

[Dave @ Jul 26th 2008 9:50AM]

to all who are saying this isn't a monopoly.... you aren't getting it. It is. You keep referencing AM/FM/HD Radio and mp3's.... but you're missing the point. Most people who have XM/Sirius have it so they can listen to other things besides what you can get elsewhere. My mother for example listens to ALL the MLB games (which is the reason I got her XM), she also listens to the old time radio shows, Martha Stewart, etc etc.... So tell me, how can she get that from a competitor without satellite? What about all the people who like Howard Stern? Or the truck drivers who drive cross country and like listening to their 3 or favorite channels? Where's their alternative?

[TRAFFICBLOWS @ Jul 26th 2008 11:51AM]

@Dave
umm those truckers and your mom can do exactly what they did before satellite. you gotta pay to play, communist! Stern is not a right. I used to listen to him on my local radio before he made the switch... now i'm just as happy listening to O&A, i.e. there are options!

[Andrew @ Jul 26th 2008 12:09PM]

Dave, by your thinking, DirecTV is a monopoly because I can't watch the learn your DirectTV remote channel anywhere else. Or a cable company is a monopoly because I can't watch their On Demand channels anywhere else.

Where can she get MLB? Online probably? TV? At the ballpark? Martha Stewart? Howard Stern? They chose to put their show on there. The service isn't monopolizing, maybe you just have channels you like who only broadcast to them. Complain to those channels, not to the service.

And further, by your thinking, was Sirius not already monopolizing because it was the only place you could listen to Howard Stern? Or XM because it was the only sat radio with MLB? You can't argue that the other sat radio service was their competition, because now you're back to services, and terrestrial radio/CDs/MP3 players are your competition again.

[Dave @ Jul 26th 2008 1:32PM]

at traffic... Im not a communist you retard. Im all for free markets dumbass. But I like having choices. And no I dont think Stern is a right... I dont even like him. Right now I do Pay to play... but When there is no alternative, you have a monopoly.

at Andrew.... way to miss the point. XM and Siruis big draw is in the auto arena. If it was just at home then hell yes, there are a ton of alternatives. But now that you've removed the "choices" for satellite in your car, it is a monopoly. And your analogy about cable tv and dish is moronic at best. The exact point that Im trying to make is that you can pick which service is best for you because of what features/channels/price you like. Well.. guess what? with this merger you do not get to choose anymore. Its the SAME as when the FCC blocked dish and direct tv from merging.

Im tired of typing.... http://www.xmsiriusmonopoly.org/

[Loonyx @ Aug 1st 2008 4:28AM]

josh... oh dear josh...where to begin...

well let's just say.

Thank you!!!

People like me feel smarter when people like you type on keyboards.

Thanks again!!!

[dan @ Jul 25th 2008 11:38PM]

this means my Sirius stock will go up right?

[slibus @ Jul 26th 2008 12:17AM]

Depends when you bought it. If before any wind of a possible merger then maybe.

[JoN @ Jul 25th 2008 11:40PM]

i'll see how it works out... i currently subscribe 5 units - if anything happens to opie and anthony / ron and fez - that number will deteriorate rapidly!

[thewalrusking @ Jul 25th 2008 11:42PM]

Babba Booey to y'all

[AJ in the East Bay @ Jul 26th 2008 12:21AM]

Exactly.

[kingzj @ Jul 26th 2008 12:22PM]

And a Fla Fla Flo-hi to you, sir

[eltoro2827 @ Jul 25th 2008 11:45PM]

Can I now purchase the xm service that was free in my accord for 3 months and get both sirius and xm service? I have sirius at home and think it has a better channel lineup. would like to have the sirius channels in my car. anyone know?

[Ken @ Jul 28th 2008 11:03AM]

With Honda owning 10% of XM, I'd like to see what happens in the Honda's as well.

[kastonie @ Jul 25th 2008 11:47PM]

this is good stuff...now after they merge how about some high resolution audio.... id totally go for that...

[EdgeOne @ Jul 26th 2008 7:54AM]

I was just thinking the same thing! How about half the channels at twice the sound quality? Something about listening to music that sounds like an mp3 ripped for napster circa 1999 that eventually made me cancel my XM account. That and paying for programming that has commercials. And offering quantity over quality. Yes, our three chief weapons are...

[Anthony @ Jul 25th 2008 11:49PM]

Shouldn't it be Xtreme partying? Would totally have been the way to announce it back when this whole, protracted affair began.

[andrew @ Jul 25th 2008 11:49PM]

anyone know if they are straight up combining the two companies and getting rid of or combining stations that are alike (shade45 in favor of 66Raw, for example) or are they goin to allow people to get programming from both Sirius and XM? I used to have Sirius, but I got a new car and now have XM, and there are channels on both that I like that are similar but I'd rather not have to get rid of one channel for the other.

[TopaZ @ Jul 25th 2008 11:51PM]

Wow, it only took a year and a half to "permit" the flow of free enterprise! Better late than never.

[bill @ Jul 25th 2008 11:54PM]

At what price does SIRI close on Monday???

[Bill @ Jul 26th 2008 12:04AM]

Finally, we all can get MLB, NFL, Stern, and all other XM and Sirius hotness without 2 subscriptions.

[Brett @ Jul 26th 2008 12:06AM]

As a Sirius subscriber, I am excited to know that I will soon be able to listen to MLB broadcasts.

[Sora @ Jul 26th 2008 12:14AM]

I still think you guys get the better end of the deal....Think about it, you Sirius guys get MLB broadcasts out of this, while we get plagued with HOWARD STERN. >_>

Of course, we've HAD the broadcasts, but still...

[Dale @ Jul 26th 2008 12:50AM]

I haven't seen any ala carte, lists that allow customers of either XM or Sirius to pick the sports from the other (so that one could purchase all the sports). Any one?

[jimy @ Jul 26th 2008 9:58AM]

"while we get plagued with HOWARD STERN. >_>"

Plagued with the King of All Media, and the greatest radio broadcaster of all time? Oh, poor you.

[Kizzle @ Jul 28th 2008 12:25AM]

The King of What? Hoo Hoo Howie has been on cruise control for, what, a decade?

Stern blows. That other commenter is right, the Sirius subscribers come out ahead on this deal.

[AJ in the East Bay @ Jul 26th 2008 12:22AM]

This was the only way satellite radio could survive so more power to them.

[CaptSaltyJack @ Jul 26th 2008 12:41AM]

There, fixed that for ya:

http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/6715/xmsirrecompgd2.gif

[JOSE @ Jul 26th 2008 12:41AM]

WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!!!!
woah wait ahhh that means i have to wait probably a year before they finalize the merger then wait some more for alpine to make a dual radio for both signals ahhhhrrrrggggghhh the humanity!

[michas_pi @ Jul 26th 2008 4:31PM]

Software updates will be issued through satellite feeds so you have to do nothing but wait.