Satellite Radio: XM Versus Sirius

Are you tired of radio stations fading in and out, as you travel? Or how about those stations that have more commercials than music? Maybe you would enjoy listening to a book or a talk show as you go about your business. Satellite radio solves all these problems, letting the listener decide what they would enjoy hearing. Two companies are responsible for satellite radio at this time. These are XM radio and Sirius radio.

Making a choice between these two companies can be confusing, as they are very similar in the programming that they offer. However, with their similarities, there are also some differences, which is the reason that XM has more subscribers than Sirius. XM has over 4 million subscribers, while Sirius has over 1 million subscribers.

The differences between these two companies are the programming they offer. XM offers over 150 digital channels while Sirius offers over 120 digital channels. To break it down further, XM offers 67, commercial-free music stations, and Sirius offers 65 commercial-free music stations.

The entertainment channels offered vary greatly among these companies, with XM offering more. XM offers comedy, talk, books and drama, as well as variety including MTV and VH1 exclusively. XM also offers award-winning XM KIDS channel. Sirius offers comedy, talk, variety and children's programming as well.
Both companies cover traffic and weather, with XM offering 21 dedicated channels, Sirius offers 20 channels, some sharing with other venues.

Both XM and Sirius cover sports, but the companies vary in which types of sports they carry. XM carries Major League Baseball, Nascar and College, including ACC, PAC-10 and Big 10 football and basketball. Sirius covers NFL, NBA, NHL, as well as NCAA March Madness, English Soccer and Horse Racing.

Other programming, such as talk shows, varies with each company. XM offers The Bob Edwards Show, Hear Music - music at Starbucks, MSNBC, Tom Petty, Then…Again…Live, Snoop Dogg, Quincy Jones, Artist Confidential and more. Sirius offers Howard Stern, Martha Stewart, Bill Bradley, Maxim, The Wise Guy Show, Jim Breuer Unleashed, OutQ, NPR, EWTN Global Catholic Network and more.

Buying equipment, subscription rates and activation fees are all the same with both companies. Equipment can be found in many places, such as Wal-Mart, car audio retail stores or even online. Subscriptions are $12.95 per month for both companies, with money saving long-term options available. XM offers a family plan, with 4 additional XM radios for $6.99 each per month. Activation for XM costs $9.99 using the internet, or $14.99 using the telephone, while Sirius activation is $10 using the internet, or $15 using the telephone.

When deciding on which satellite radio company to use, the customer will have to decide on the programming options that they are interested in. The programming options are about the only difference in the two companies.