Sirius XM Holdings, Inc., doing business
as Sirius XM Satellite Radio, is an American broadcasting company
headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio
and online radio services operating in the United States. The companies Sirius
Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio are now merged into Sirius XM Radio. The
company also has a minor interest in SiriusXM Canada, an affiliate company that
provides Sirius and XM service in Canada. At the end of 2013, Sirius XM
reorganized their corporate structure, which made Sirius XM Radio Inc. a
direct, wholly owned subsidiary of Sirius XM Holdings, Inc.
Sirius XM Radio was formed after the
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the acquisition of XM
Satellite Radio Holding, Inc. by Sirius Satellite Radio, Inc. on July 29, 2008,
17 months after the companies first proposed the merger. The merger brought the
combined companies a total of more than 18.5 million subscribers based on
current subscriber numbers on the date of merging. The deal was valued at $3.3
billion, not including debt. Through Q2 2017, Sirius XM has more than 32
million subscribers.
The proposed merger was opposed by those
who felt it would create a monopoly. Sirius and XM argued that a merger was the
only way that satellite radio could survive.
In September 2018, the company agreed to
purchase the competing streaming music service Pandora, and this transaction
was successfully completed on February 1, 2019.
Internet and Mobile
Sirius XM radio content is available to
stream online either as an add-on to existing subscriptions or as an
Internet-only option. Internet and mobile services directly challenging Sirius
XM include iHeartRadio0, Pandora (later acquired by SiriusXM in 2019), and Spotify.
In August 2011, SiriusXM announced that
the company would start offering a peronalized interactive online radio
experience. MySXM debuted on April 15, 2013, allowing users to fine-tune over
50 existing Sirius XM channels. MySXM is available to all Sirius XM
subscribers.
The internet player allows subscribers
to customize most stations to their liking by adjusting settings like:
familiar/hits or unfamiliar/depth, studio recordings or live performances, and
new/recent or old/classic material. These customized stations also allow
listeners to play music without DJ interruptions. SiriusXM apps also include an
extensive lineup of archived programming on SiriusXM On Demand.
On June 17, 2009, Sirius XM released an
application for use on Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch, allowing its subscribers
to listen to its programming on those devices. The app did not feature all of
the programming available to satellite listeners. On March 17, 2011, the app was also made
available for the iPad. In 2012, the app was updated for iOS and Android,
featuring additional content, and the ability to pause, rewind, and
fast-forward through audio streams.
On February 4, 2010, the Sirius XM BlackBerry
application was announced, for use on BlackBerry smartphones (the Bold, Curve, Storm,
and Tour). As of April 2013, the app featured over 150 channels.
On May 28, 2010, the Sirius XM
application for Android smartphones was announced. As of April 2013, the app
features over 130 channels.
As part of Howard Stern's new five-year
contract with Sirius XM, which he signed on December 9, 2010, The Howard
Stern Show, which hadn't previously been made available on mobile devices,
would now be a part of Sirius XM's mobile app package.
On March 18, 2015, SiriusXM released a
refreshed user interface of the application on Android and iOS.
As of October 2017, SiriusXM is
available for streaming via custom apps on a variety of connected devices
including Amazon Alexa and Fire TV, Sonos, PlayStation, Roku, and smart TVs.
In May 2018, SiriusXM unveiled a new
look for both the desktop web player and the mobile apps. The MySXM feature,
including all the custom mixes that listeners saved overtime, was removed.
SiriusXM claims that they're working on a more personalized feature that will
release in the upcoming months.
SiriusXM later expanded their internet
and mobile platforms by acquiring Pandora in February 2019.
Programming
SiriusXM is the exclusive home to Howard
Stern with two dedicated Howard Stern channels. SiriusXM's talk, news and
comedy programming features channels from news outlets including BBC, CNBC, FOX
News0, CNN, MSNBC, Bloomberg, NPR, C-SPAN, exclusive talk and entertainment
channels including TODAY Show Radio, Business Radio Powered By The Wharton
School, Entertainment Weekly Radio, Faction Talk, Radio Andy, Joel
Osteen Radio, and comedy from channels including Comedy Central Radio, Comedy
Greats, The Foxxhole, Laugh USA, Raw Dog Comedy and George Carlin's Carlin's
Corner.
SiriusXM music programming includes
artist branded channels from The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Garth
Brooks, Tom Petty, Pearl Jam, Kenny Chesney, Pitbull and many more, curated
music channels dedicated to multiple decades and genres that span rock, pop,
country, R&B, hip-hop, electronic dance, jazz and more, and concept-based
channels, such as The Coffee House, SiriusXM
Chill, Road Trip Radio, Yacht Rock
Radio, and The Covers Channel.
SiriusXM offers live play-by-play
coverage of every NFL, Major League Baseball, and NBA game; every NASCAR race; PGA
Tour events; and live college sports, as well as news, analysis and opinions
from more than a dozen dedicated sports talk channels.
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