Portable Satellite Radios Work Everywhere
On October 25, 2005 Sirius announced that "E Street Radio", the exclusive channel of legendary artist Bruce Springsteen, would air from November 1, 2005 to January 31, 2006 on the Bridge - Channel 10. Sirius Radio have exclusive rights to Stern's radio show, and also gave Stern the right to build at least two full-time programming channels. Sirius Radio has exclusive satellite radio rights to National Public Radio, carrying two separate streams. The deal with NPR was the first high-profile deal entered into by Sirius.
Digital satellite systems have a number of advantages over traditional cable-television providers. Unlike XM Radio, Sirius Radio does not use GEO satellites fro its satellite radio services. Sirius currently lags behind competitor XM Satellite Radio in terms of subscribers with just over 2.1 million, well less than XM's current audience of more than five million subscribers.
Many customers prefer the additional channels available on satellite TV systems and the clarity of the digital signals. Certain third-party channels may not be available over the Internet through XM Radio Online. XM Satellite Radio provides digital programming directly from three satellites in geostationary orbit above the equator.
On March 1, 2004, XM Radio launched Instant Traffic and Weather Channels for major metropolitan markets in the United States. Portable satellite radios that also store and play back MP3 files will soon be available. The idea behind satellite radio is quite basic. Most portable radios let you store several hours of satellite radio programming in their internal memories. Satellite radio receivers continuously display the artist's name and the song title. A plug-and-play satellite radio is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, so it's easy to carry it around. Both Sirius Radio and XM Radio are counting on Canadians' propensity for adopting new digital technologies at ever-accelerating rates.
| 