How do the Technologies Stack Up?

Which is better -- Sirius or XM? They both have a similar range of music, news and entertainment programming. Sirius has signed Howard Stern to bring his raunchy brand of entertainment on board, plus it offers more sports than XM. But XM has the only personal listening device. XM is still the clear market leader when it comes to subscribers, but Sirius is investing some significant cash to improve its offerings in order to entice more listeners. This table shows how the two formats stack up.

Sirius vs. XM
 
Sirius
XM
Satellites 3 satellites 2 satellites
Programming 120 channels, including:
  • 65 commercial-free music channels
  • 13 news channels
  • 4 entertainment channels
  • 20 local traffic and weather channels and The Weather Channel
  • NFL football, college football and basketball channels
 150 channels, including:
  • 68 commercial-free music channels
  • 33 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels
  • 21 traffic and weather channels
  • Major League Baseball and NASCAR
Highlights Howard Stern show (coming soon)
A weekly rock show with skateboarder Tony Hawk
NBA, NHL and NFL games
Plans to add three video channels in 2006
Listen on the Internet for free		 Opie & Anthony
Shows hosted by Snoop Dogg, Tom Petty and Quincy Jones
FOX sports radio
24-hour NASCAR radio (although Sirius has announced that it will begin broadcasting NASCAR in 2007)
Equipment Car receivers range from $99 to $2,300.
Home receivers range in price from $99 to $2,000.
Plug-and-play receivers cost from $50 to $160.		 Car receivers range from $99 to $170.
Home receivers range from $170 to $1,100.
Plug-and-play receivers cost from $100 to $130.
Delphi XM MyFi (the only personal satellite receiver available) costs $349.99.
Price $12.95 per month
$15 ($10 online) activation fee		 $12.95 per month for basic package (premium programs are available for an additional fee)
$14.99 ($9.99 online) activation fee
Availability The continental United States The continental United States
Subscribers 1.14 million in 2004 3.2 million in 2004
Already Installed Available installed in Chrysler, BMW and Ford cars Available installed in more than 100 new cars in 2005, including AUDI, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC models

Another big question is: Are the two systems compatible? For right now, the answer is no. Sirius can only receive broadcasts from Sirius satellites, and XM can only receive broadcasts from XM satellites. Several years ago, the FCC ordered both companies to develop a receiver that could receive both services. Although the two companies say they are actively developing the technology to do so, there is no word yet as to when it might be available to consumers.