XM/Sirius merger approved by Department of Justice
The Department of Justice (DOJ) gave its seal of approval to XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio for their proposed merger. The DOJ took over a year to make their decision on the $5 billion merger. Apparently they’ve come to the conclusion that the merger won’t change the market that drastically because it wasn’t that big of a market to begin with. Also, they say that it’s “not likely to harm consumers” and might actually benefit customers. Be sure to remember that the approval does not mean that the merger is a go yet, approval from the FCC is still to come. FCC chairman Kevin Martin says that a decision is getting closer.
Once the decision gets approval and the services have merged, that is when you get involved. Current subscribers to either XM and Sirius will keep their service, but will get the added bonus of programming from the opposite provider. Meaning if you have XM now, then you will get Sirius as well. If you have Sirius, you’ll get XM too. Now, in order to get one of the two new a la carte packages, you’ll need a new radio. Most likely, the new a la carte radio will only be available after every detail of the merger have been announced and every signature on every contract has been signed.
Filed under: Technology
