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Study: XM/Sirius Merger Would Not Increase Program Offerings

Contrary to the claims of both companies, the XM/Sirius merger would not increase program choices for consumers, according to a study prepared by consulting engineering firm Meintel, Sgrignoli & Wallace.

According to the study, customers would not be able to access more programs than they currently have unless they purchased a new satellite radio, writes Radio Ink. That is something that the companies have said consumers would not have to do.

Technical differences between the two systems would prevent Sirius radios from receiving XM programming and vice versa. Also, the study found that the two systems cannot be expanded to fit in additional channels unless they were willing to compromise audio quality.
The report also notes that, as a condition of their original licenses, the operators were required to create designs for radios that would work with each system. As of today, no radio that is interoperable between both systems has been made commercially available.