Satcasters Sirius and XM Satellite Radio Holdings released their year-end subscription totals Wednesday, with XM holding a 12-1 lead over its late-arriving rival. Sirius also announced a series of new programming initiatives, including a planned video delivery service targeting car owners with backseat video displays, and several new formats, including one targeting gay and lesbian listeners.
Both operators of subscription satellite radio services have rejiggered finances in recent months to provide time to build up their subscription bases. So far, XM is leading widely, with 347,000 subscribers to Sirius' 30,000. Sirius debuted in April, about eight months after XM.
XM said it actually exceeded its target of 350,000 subscribers, because about 13,000 units bought during the holidays have yet to be activated.
Sirius, meanwhile, released a flurry of programming announcements on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show. The most notable was a demonstration of the satellite system's ability to beam video to its car-bound customers. A Disney cartoon was beamed from New York to the Las Vegas Convention Center at a moderate-quality 240 kilobits per second, about five times the speed of a dial-up Internet connection.
Sirius VP of production management and strategic planning Larry Pesce said a more optimized system could increase that level to about 300 kilobits per second, and perhaps add a second channel. The video service would target the "backseat audience," dominated by children, to be found in vehicles outfitted with rear-seat video displays. Sirius already has audio deals with several Disney units, including ESPN, Radio Disney and ABC News, that could provide one big source of content for a video service.
Sirius also revamped its audio service, announcing one of its 100 channels would be devoted to gay-themed talk radio and another to unsigned artists. Sirius also will beam live music performances daily and has revamped other channels to carry music from jam bands and turntablists, as well as political talk on channels devoted to liberal and conservative programming.
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