SIRIUS-XM

Finally!

The deal has passed the Department of Justice today - Sirius Satellite Radio's purchase of XM Satellite Radio has leaped one boundary, and awaits only the approval of the FCC (which many feel is a foregone conclusion) to finish the deal, which would combine the country's only satellite radio providers under one company.

For folks like me, who have held onto shares of Sirius for over 5 years, the deal comes as a great relief. I am a subscriber to the service, and own around 170 shares of its stock. The product itself is outstanding, especially when you are a hearty traveler. While the FM wireless devices leave something to be desired, radios that are hardwired into new car purchases are outstanding luxury additions.

Commercial free music? Outstanding. But as a sports fan, this passage warms my heart the most. Currently, one must choose between aligning with Sirius or XM, each with their own exclusive broadcast rights for a vareity of sports and leagues. For example, Sirius carries NASCAR and NBA radio, and broadcasts a wide variety of program and live events for each. XM has an exclusive deal to broadcast every MLB game. Sirius has a similar deal with the NFL. Each has exclusive rights to certain big time colleges (for example, Texas is exclusive with XM).

Now, if they can come under one roof, the hope is that programming will be available to provide the excessive sportsfan (say, for example, ME) with the widest variety of sports available. So the next time my wife wants to drive to see an old friend, I can carry my trusty radio with me and never miss the big game.

And oh yeah, my stock soared 10% in the past 20 minutes, which is a rather nice feeling too.