Sirius/XM Merger

[Beagle]

sirius is a much better service than xm by a long shot,and with all the issues that xm has right now,i would hate to see sirius get mixed up in xm's problems.

 

[BobMurdoch]

I disagree... They each have their strengths.....

Sirius has NFl, XM has baseball. Sirius has NASCAR, XM has IRL. XM has Opie and Anthony, Sirius has Howard. Sirius has Playboy and Maxim.... OK, they win on that one....

But XM has Cinemagic (Movie Soundtracks) and UPop (Pop from around the world). I like both of those genres.

I have both services and both are worth the money to me. I wish there was a receiver that could get both, but I have a Sky Fi2 hard wired into my car, and A Sirius One receiver that I take from car to car... A jumble of wires, but it is pretty portable. The unit's FM signal is really weak, and here in the NYC market where there is a frequency in use at every spot of the dial, it can be a nuisance.

The only issue XM is mixed up in is a lawsuit where record companies are suing over the ability of the XM radios to store music, which Sirius radios can also do if I am not mistaken. If they win this lawsuit, do they go after Sirius next?

I think they will eventually settle by kicking back some greenbacks to make it go away. We'll see...

 

[Neutron]

Yes, my wife's S50 can store songs from Sirius, but you can't transfer them from the radio to anything.

That will be the kicker to any lawsuit filed regarding this.

 

[Sirius_Rich]

I'm with you Bob, having both is money well spent. I love XM's Cinemagic channel.

 

[HCI]

sirius is a much better service than xm by a long shot,and with all the issues that xm has right now,i would hate to see sirius get mixed up in xm's problems.

Why is Sirius service better?

 

[BobMurdoch]

Because that's the one HE bought.

Whenever you choose one service vs. another, it's human nature to think your's is great and the other is lacking.

I'm just as guilty. Look at my posts in the HD DVD forum vs. BluRay, as well as the XBox 360 vs. the PS3. I think it is based on some deep seated fear that if one wins the other loses, and our investment is in danger of going the way of the laserdisc....

 

[kenny911]

I have XM and love all the sports talk stations.

 

[BobMurdoch]

Wow, both stocks getting hammered.... I guess the talk of a blocked merger scared all the speculators away.

I'm surprised it is still in the doldrums.... Even with their freespending ways, they both are either in the black or almost there.....

 

[lovswr]

1. WELCOME!

2. Way too early to worry about; and although maybe more serious talks than even, I still see it as NOT happening; or at the very least, 2+ years away.

3. Likely the #2 (the purchased company subscribers) would be in some swap-out program IMHO. AND it better be a 110% free swap.

I agree, but I would imagine those of us who have head units with built in XM receivers will get screwed no matter what.

 

[lovswr]

This is from last Friday. I don't know if this reporter is reputable or not. I also heard a little blurb about this, this morning as I was flipping through CNBC.

 

[kenny911]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02192007/business/heavenly_deal_business_peter_lauria.htm

 

[kluken]

I had XM for 2 years, then had a car that offered Sirius, had that for 6 months and in IMO I thought Sirius reception (technology) sucked, constant drop outs. But their sound quality seemed better and from a music stand point I found their content to be better. XM has better transmission technology (never drops out), but tends to be very repetitive and plays more obscure content and their sound quailty seems more muted or flat. Of the main genres i listen too (Dance, Techno, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Metal) I found for me that execpt for Jazz where i feel XM had the edge, the otheres were better on Sirius, and as an added bonus i got to listen to Stern (ex-NYer so it was nice to have him back for a while)

 

[BobMurdoch]

As a stockholder for both (a small sum in a custodial account for my son's college... started before 529 plans came into vogue), I hope the deal finally snaps them out of their doldrums.

It will also cut down on the stupid overpaying for content. Oprah and Martha Stewart haven't pulled their weight in attracting new subscribers. Stern hit the subscriber goals, but he winds up siphoning off SO much money, that it hurts the company. Sirius is just know about to turn cash flow positive, while XM projects 2008 (after they projected 2006 two years ago).

Two big question marks..... Will the feds allow the deal to go through or do they kill it like E*/D*? Whose equipment gets junked... Sirius or XM?

 

[cforrest]

Bob,

All those questions you posed are unknowns. FCC Chairman commented publicly he is against a merger of the two companies, but it will be up to the commission as a whole whether it gets past the FCC and then onto the DOJ. If this does happen, will be until years end before we as consumers see anything out of it, since it'll be a long drawn out merger IMO.

 

[Sparkman]

Radioandreacords.com is now reporting that the merger is confirmed

 

[digiblur]

There is a lot more teeth to this rumor than is apparent. The CEO's of both companies are talking and to each other. It will not be XM taking over SIRIUS, imo.

I hope so.... XM's lineup bites. I'll cancel in a heartbeat.

You can't take my Octane, Lithium, HairNation or BTLS!!

 

[digiblur]

I had XM for 2 years, then had a car that offered Sirius, had that for 6 months and in IMO I thought Sirius reception (technology) sucked, constant drop outs. But their sound quality seemed better and from a music stand point I found their content to be better. XM has better transmission technology (never drops out), but tends to be very repetitive and plays more obscure content and their sound quailty seems more muted or flat. Of the main genres i listen too (Dance, Techno, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Metal) I found for me that execpt for Jazz where i feel XM had the edge, the otheres were better on Sirius, and as an added bonus i got to listen to Stern (ex-NYer so it was nice to have him back for a while)

I have Sirius and don't know what dropouts are. Sounds like you had some faulty equipment or a fudged installation.

 

[ecarl4100]

I'm not into stocks, but...

I'm all into getting what xm and sirius both have to offer (I've got sirius), but what scares me is what happens if there is no competition. If in the US, there is only one satellite radio network, what will keep prices competetive? (if there is no competition). Just think, If D* and Dish merged, I'll bet u, We'd be paying more for sat tv today. As much as I like more content, the lack of competition scares me for the future. IMHO.

 

[Madtown HD Junkie]

i would prefer competition out there for them rather than 1 big boy.

 

[cdru]

Radioandreacords.com is now reporting that the merger is confirmed

Yahoo News also has a confirmation.