2) Satisfaction of listener experience?
As to SIRIUS' growth, siriusmerger.com says: "The merger will also enable the combined company to develop and introduce a wider range of lower cost, easy-to-use, and multi-functional devices through efficiencies in chip set and radio design and procurement."
As to the listener experience, the website says: "Together, SIRIUS and XM will offer consumers even more programming choices, new 'value' and 'best of both' packages, and it will accelerate the development of innovative products such as real-time traffic and rear-seat video…"
The Answer to the Hardware Compatibility Issue?
One thing I think I've gleaned from this is how SIRIUS will keep its current hardware base of both XM and SIRIUS proprietary radios relevant. If I understand this correctly, both XM and SIRIUS satellites will continue to beam programming. But, on SIRIUS radio, a certain amount of channels will actually become a retransmission of selected XM channels and on an XM radio, a certain amount of channels will also become a retransmission of selected SIRIUS content.
That way, when the subscriber chooses an al a carte package of 50 or 100 channels, he can choose from both services because portions of both are now available on his radio. In effect, portions of both channels will simulcast on each other's service.
The fact that current XM or SIRIUS subscribers will not have to make any hardware changes to continue receiving programming will no doubt be well-received by listeners.
For further information about the merger, you can visit: www.siriusmerger.com
