XM Radio

XM Satellite Radio Holdings (XM) (NASDAQ: XMSR) is one of two satellite radio (SDARS) services in the United States and Canada, along with Sirius Satellite Radio. XM provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. more...

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Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional traffic and weather channels and 23 play-by-play sports channels. XM channels are identified by Arbitron with the label "XM" (e.g. "XM142", "XM7", "XM32").

While the company was originally founded in 1988 as American Mobile Radio Corporation, the satellite service was officially launched on September 25, 2001.

Merger with Sirius Satellite Radio

On February 19, 2007, XM announced a merger deal with Sirius Satellite Radio. If approved, the merger will combine the two radio services and create a single Satellite Radio network in the United States and Canada.

Services

While the satellite receiver radio service is its primary product, XM actually operates several audio and data services, and advertising.

Satellite radio

To receive satellite radio programming, a customer first needs to purchase a receiver. After mail-in rebates, these receivers can cost anywhere from US$20 to $400. In some situations, it's even possible to get a free receiver with a service commitment.

XM Receivers come in several forms: an XM Ready home theater system or car stereo equipped with a tuner and antenna. Other options are the "plug and play" receivers, such as the Roady, Sportscaster, or SkyFi receivers. These receivers connect to car or home audio systems and typically use a docking station at each location they will be used. Also, several true portable models now exist: with built-in antennas, they can be used anywhere that the satellite signal is available. Certain models offer satellite recording, MP3 playback, and pause and rewind.

XM also offers music downloads through XM+Napster. This service is being integrated with XM Online and the new MP3 capable XM receivers, such as the Pioneer Inno or the Samsung Helix.

A subset of the XM programming can also be received on the DirecTV satellite network. To listen to XM on DirecTV, no XM subscription is required, but you must have a DirecTV subscription.

XM Radio Online

XM Radio Online, XM's internet radio product, offers many of XM's music stations and can be accessed from any Internet connected Windows or Macintosh computer. It is available free to all XM Radio subscribers, or at a US$7.99 a month to internet-only subscribers. Also, some of XM's more generic music channels are available free of charge via AOL Radio and Winamp.

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