Gizmodo: xm-sirius merger

XM-Sirius Merger Nears Approval, Comes Down To One Commissioner's Vote

John Mahoney — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:05:45 EDT

And here she is. After FCC commissioner Johnathan Adelstein withdrew his support today, the vote is now deadlocked and awaiting the yea or nay from Deborah Taylor Tate, a Republican who is expected to approve the merger so all of this can finally be over and done with (something tells me a large batch of high-end satellite radio gear is now being priority-overnighted to Taylor's office to make sure everything is greased appropriately). If you're a subscriber, not a whole lot will change once the deal is finalized and the two merge parts of their programming, but you'll need new gear to take full advantage of any new subscriptions once the merger is wrapped up. [WSJ via CrunchGear].

XM and Sirius Promise Cheaper A La Carte Offerings if Merger Deal is Approved

Charlie White — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:15:00 EDT

Picking and choosing your favorite stations on XM and Sirius Satellite Radio might be a delightful result of the merger between the two companies, at least that's what the companies are saying will happen if their proposed deal goes through the FCC gauntlet. That's just the beginning, too, because the companies add that their subscriptions will cost 46% less. Here are a couple of examples the companies announced today.

How about 50 channels of your choice from either XM or Sirius for $6.99 per month? The two companies also say you'll be able to add additional channels for 25 cents apiece. This is a far cry from the $13 a month Sirius and XM subscribers are paying now.

The companies are gunning to get this merger done before the year is out, and they're trying to calm down complaints that the result would be a monopoly, leaving a company that could charge whatever it wanted for its one-of-a-kind services. One thing we're wondering, though: What's going to keep this monopoly service from raising its prices as soon as it gets regulatory approval?

We're now paying $13 a month for Sirius Satellite Radio, and find that to be an excellent value, considering the high quality of its radio stations and high fidelity of its signal. For $6.99 per month, we're thinking this new service would be irresistible. No wonder old fogy radio companies are opposing this merger so strongly. Bring it on. [Reuters]

Sirius and XM Pimp Congress for Merger, Say Prices Won't Be Raised

Charlie White — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:32:18 EDT

As the Sirius and XM satellite radio services continue to seek U.S. government approval for that much-discussed merger, the companies tossed out a few details of the proposed marriage in a document filed with the feds. As Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin (pictured in car above) told a House judiciary committee antitrust task force a few weeks ago, subscribers would have a choice of tiers of service, but not the ability to pick and choose exactly which stations they'd like included in their subscription. In the document, Sirius wrote,

"After the merger, customers may elect to receive fewer channels at a monthly price lower than $12.95; substantially similar programming at the existing $12.95 price; or more channels ... at a modest premium to the cost of one service, and considerably less than the cost of subscribing to both services."

When challenged about pricing, Karmazin made a promise to the suits in the Senate:

Those antitrust hearings are still going on, where Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl called out the Sirius CEO, saying the merger would result in "a fabulous monopoly" and "a real bad deal for consumers."

Karmazin tried to put out that fire by assuring the senator and his colleagues that the combined company's not going to raise prices. Sure, he says that now. Just like the kid says to daddy when he's begging for the Corvette keys, "I promise not to speed, really." – Charlie White

Sirius, XM to offer reduced price plan after deal [Reuters, via Yahoo News]