What is the current status of the Sirius/XM merger?!
Question: If the merger goes through, what will it mean for current subscribers? Will we be getting more channels?
Answers: If the merger goes through, what will it mean for current subscribers? Will we be getting more channels?
Duh said it all.
As I understand it, (as of right now) we would need new radios that would be able to pick up both signals, since Sirius radios can't pick up the XM signal and Vice Versa. I assume they'd come up with some way to make it cheaper than buying new radios, like some kind of adapter or something but I don't think theres anything right now.
DoJ (Dept. of Justice) is taking a hands off policy for now. This means it's in the hands of the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). In the long run, FCC will be the actual decision maker.
Current subscribers will get many choices. You won't need another receiver nor an adaptor as all channels available will be beamed from all satellites.
Complete details are on the websites. Here's the statement (which does not mention FTC, but I still think their opinion is in there somewhere).
-a guy named duh
MERGER UPDATE
On March 24, XM announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had approved the proposed merger with SIRIUS. XM is pleased that after a thorough review, the DOJ agrees that the entertainment marketplace will remain highly competitive and robust after our merger.
With the DOJ's decision behind us, our next and final regulatory step will be a decision from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Soon after FCC approval is obtained, XM and Sirius would complete the merger.
The combination of our companies will lead to more choices and better pricing for our subscribers, and result in a stronger competitor in the rapidly evolving audio entertainment market.
As we have said, no XM radio will become obsolete as a result of the merger. We have millions of radios in use, including many that are factory-installed in automobiles. After the merger, our subscribers will not need another radio to continue to receive programming like they now enjoy. The XM platform will continue to offer a full complement of programming to our millions of subscribers.
We'll communicate directly to our subscribers once the FCC has rendered its decision.