 Sirius Satellite Radio logo, used 2003–2008 | |
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Nasdaq: SIRI | |
| Industry | Radio broadcasting |
| Founded | May 17, 1990; 35 years ago (1990-05-17) |
| Founder | |
| Defunct | January 13, 2011; 14 years ago (2011-01-13) |
| Fate | Merged withXM Satellite Radio |
| Successor | Sirius XM |
| Headquarters | New York City, United States |
| Products | Satellite radio |
Number of employees | 1,514 (2010) |
| Parent | Sirius XM Holdings |
Sirius Satellite Radio was asatellite radio (SDARS) service that operated in the United States and Canada. Sirius launched in 2002,[1] and primarily competed withXM Satellite Radio, until the two services merged in 2008 to formSirius XM.[2]
Like XM, Sirius offered pay-for-service radio for a monthly subscription fee, analogous to the business model ofcable television. Its music channels were presented without commercial advertising, while its talk channels carried commercials. Its content was not subject to the same FCC content regulation asterrestrial radio, which allowed both music and talk broadcasts to includeexplicit content. Sirius channels were identified byNielsen Audio with the label "SR" (e.g. "SR120", "SR9", "SR17").[citation needed]
Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. was headquartered inNew York City, and operated smaller studios inLos Angeles andMemphis.[citation needed]
Sirius was founded byMartine Rothblatt, who served as the new company's Chairman of the Board.[3] Co-founderDavid Margolese served as Chief Executive Officer andRobert Briskman served as President and Chief Operating Officer.[4][5][6] In 1990, Rothblatt foundedSatellite CD Radio, Inc. in Washington, D.C.[3][7] The company was the first to petition theFCC to assign unused frequencies for satellite radio broadcast, which "provoked a furor among owners of both large and small [terrestrial] radio stations."[7] Rothblatt had previously helped create thePanAmSat international satellite television system,[8] and helped launch and served as CEO of the Geostar satellite navigation system.[3][9] In April 1992, she resigned as chairman and CEO of Sirius in order to start a medical research foundation, focused on finding a cure for her daughter's illness.[3] FormerNASA engineer Robert Briskman, who designed the company's satellite technology, was then appointed chairman and CEO.[10][11]
Six months later, in November 1992,Rogers Wireless co-founder David Margolese, who had provided financial backing for the venture, acquired control of the company and succeeded Briskman. Margolese renamed the company CD Radio, and spent the next five years lobbying the FCC to allow satellite radio to be deployed, and the following five years raising $1.6 billion, which was used to build and launch three satellites into elliptical orbit fromKazakhstan in July 2000.[11][12][13][14] The company successfully bid $83.3 million to purchase their satellite radio license.[15] In 1997, after Margolese had obtained regulatory clearance and "effectively created the industry," the FCC also sold a license to XM Satellite Radio, which followed Sirius's example.[16]
In November 1999, Marketing chief Ira Bahr convinced Margolese to again change the name of the company, this time to Sirius Satellite Radio, in order to avoid association with the soon-to-be-outdated CD technology.[5] By July 2000, Sirius had negotiated deals withBMW,DaimlerChrysler, andFord to offer Sirius receivers in their vehicles.[14] The first confirmed music transmission from a Sirius satellite was received at the company's New York City headquarters on September 1, 2000.[citation needed]
Margolese stepped down as CEO in August 2001, remaining as chairman until November 2004.[17] Joe Clayton, former CEO ofGlobal Crossing, succeeded Margolese.
Sirius Satellite Radio launched on February 14, 2002, in theDenver,Houston,Jackson, andPhoenix markets.[1] The first Sirius receiver was reportedly sold at Cowboy Maloney's Electric City in Jackson.[18] Service expanded to the rest of thecontiguous United States on July 1, 2002.[19]
Clayton resigned as CEO in November 2004, remaining as chairman until July 2008.[20]Mel Karmazin, former president ofViacom, succeeded Clayton, and remained in the position until the merger[21][22]
On October 16, 2006, Sirius announced the launch of Sirius Internet Radio, with 78 of its 135 channels being available worldwide on the internet to any of its subscribers with a valid user name and password.
On February 19, 2007, Sirius announced plans tomerge with its primary competitor,XM Satellite Radio.[23] Since the merger would eliminate competition in the U.S. satellite radio market, the plan was controversial, and required the approval of theU.S. Department of Justice and theFederal Communications Commission. The Department of Justice approved the merger on March 24, 2008,[24] and the FCC followed on July 25 of that year.[25]
The merger closed on July 29, 2008.[26][27] The two services initially continued to operate under their original, separate brands, though each assumed the other's channel lineup on November 12, 2008.[28] The original Sirius and XM brands were retired by February 4, 2011, when the combined Sirius XM brand and website launched.[29][30]
Sirius'sdog icon was later reintroduced in 2023 as Sirius XM's corporate mascot, named Stella.[31]
Sirius radio was offered for a monthly subscription fee. Subscriptions ranged in price from US$14.99 monthly (US$9.99 for each additional receiver) to US$699.99 for lifetime (of the receiver equipment[32]). There is a US$15 activation fee for every radio activated.[citation needed]
A subset of Sirius music channels was included as part of theDish Networksatellite television service.[33]
Sirius carried a variety of music, news,talk, sports, and entertainment programming on its channels. The majority of its programming was produced in-house exclusively for Sirius, though some channels, particularly talk stations, were originally aired on terrestrial radio and simulcast on Sirius.[citation needed] Others, such as the Fox News Channel, were audio simulcasts of television programs. According to a Spring 2007Arbitron report, the five channels most listened to on Sirius based on theiraverage quarterly hour (AQH) share were Howard 100, Howard 101, The Highway (56), Sirius Hits 1, and Octane (37).[34]
Sirius had deals with entertainers and personalities for broadcast streams. Besides Stern, Sirius had deals withMartha Stewart,[35]E Street Band memberSteven Van Zandt,[36]Jimmy Buffett,[37] andEminem[38] to executive-produce streams or channels on Sirius. Van Zandt created two stations for Sirius: theUnderground Garage, dedicated togarage rock, andOutlaw Country with its focus onalternative country music.[36]
In April 2003, Sirius launchedSirius OutQ, the first-ever 24/7 talk channel targeted at anLGBT audience.[39] On March 14, 2006, Sirius addedCosmo Radio,Playboy Radio, and returned the audio simulcast of the Fox News Channel TV feed, which was previously removed during a contract dispute. The service also added Fox's satellite talk radio channel,Fox News Talk.
Sirius held exclusive satellite radio rights to:
On October 6, 2004, Sirius announced that it had signed a five-year, US$100 million per year agreement with Howard Stern to broadcast his radio show,The Howard Stern Show, exclusively on Sirius starting on January 9, 2006.[40][41] Stern cited intensifying enforcement of FCC broadcasting regulations, following theSuper Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy, as reason for the move. In the wake of the announcement of his pending departure, Stern complained that Infinity Broadcasting was making his departure more acrimonious than was necessary.[citation needed]
The deal gave Stern the right to build three full-time programming channels on Sirius, of which two,Howard 100 and Howard 101, were ultimately created. Stern's audience had grown almost tenfold by the end of his second year on Sirius, from fewer than 700,000 subscribers to 6 million.[citation needed]
Beginning in June 2005, Sirius began broadcastingBBC Radio 1.[42] Later, in November 2005, Sirius launchedCBC Radio One,CBC Radio Three,Première Plus,Énergie2, andBande à part on their U.S. network.[citation needed]
Sirius broadcast a variety of live sports and sports talk programs. It held exclusive satellite radio rights to theNFL andCFL throughout its existence, and launched an NFL-specific channel, Sirius NFL Radio, in August 2004.[citation needed] Sirius also held exclusive rights to broadcastNBA games and programming from 2003 until November 2008, when those broadcasts moved to XM.[43][44] Sirius and XM shared broadcasting rights to the NHL until the2007–08 season, when broadcasts moved exclusively to XM. Sirius also broadcast coverage ofNASCAR races, as well as a weekly show hosted byTony Stewart.[citation needed]
Beginning in 2005, Sirius also had exclusive radio rights to cover theNCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.[citation needed] Sirius also had the rights to a number of major college sports teams, including teams in theBig East,Big Ten andSoutheastern Conferences, as well asThe University of Notre Dame.[citation needed]
Sirius also broadcast selectPremier League matches. On September 27, 2006, Sirius announced a deal to addUEFA Champions League soccer to their lineup. Sirius had exclusive radio rights to broadcast the ESPN television feed of the Euro 2008 championships. Sirius also aired a soccer talk show called "The Football Show" with former Metrostars GMCharlie Stillitano and former International Italian starGiorgio Chinaglia. On Saturdays and Sundays during premier league season, Sirius aired Radio606, a classic radio call-in show from the UK discussing all of the days top matches.[citation needed]
Sirius broadcastAt the Races andThe Hardcore Poker Show, respectively the only nationally broadcast talk shows discussinghorse racing andprofessional poker.[citation needed]
After the merger between Sirius and XM was completed,Major League Baseball games remained exclusive to XM Radio as a result of an arrangement dispute between MLB and Sirius XM, which prevented Sirius subscribers from listening to games. However, on August 19, 2013, Sirius XM reached an agreement with MLB allowing all customers with both Sirius and XM receivers to hear the games with a premium subscription.[45]
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In August 2003, Sirius partnered withClearwater, Florida-basedApplied Media Technologies Corporation, a provider of telephone "on hold" messaging.[46] AMTC provides Sirius service in a package branded asSirius Music for Business. For US$29.95 per month, AMTC provides all of Sirius' streams of commercial-free music, and pays all performance royalties toASCAP,Broadcast Music Incorporated, andSESAC, so that business owners may legally play Sirius' music in their establishments.
Unlike the music servicesMuzak /DMX Music orMusic Choice, the SiriusXM for Business service uses the same channels andSDARS delivery platform as the consumer Sirius service. The SDARS delivery platform, on the other hand, is more reliable than any of the other services in that it is not subject to satellite dishrain fade. Thehighly elliptical orbit of the Sirius satellite constellation can pose difficulties for the reliable delivery of the signal to stationary antennas in certain parts of the country. To eliminate this potential problem, Sirius launched a newgeostationary satellite, FM-5, to improve service to non-mobile customers such as those of SiriusXM for Business.[47] The service can also be accessed online using Sirius' online streaming technology, allowing any business with a broadband Internet connection to overcome any potential reception issues.
Sirius Backseat TV was a service that relayed livesatellite television toin-car entertainment systems. Targeted at families with young children, the service included three channels:Nickelodeon,Disney Channel andCartoon Network.[48] Backseat TV was originally exclusive toChrysler vehicles, debuting with the 2008Chrysler Town & Country andDodge Grand Caravan minivans.[48] An aftermarket receiver, the SCV1, launched in late 2007 at a retail price of US$299.99.[49]
Backseat TV was offered to Sirius radio customers with compatible equipment for an additional US$6.99 per month.[49] The service was reportedly discontinued in 2012.[50]
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In September 2009, The Federal Communications Commission agreed to Sirius XM's request for aspecial temporary authority to operate 20 terrestrial repeaters for the satellite radio service in Puerto Rico.
The commission did so over the objections of thePuerto Rico Radio Broadcasters Association (Asociación de Radiodifusores de Puerto Rico), who said the approval expands the Sirius XM reach outside its authorized coverage area and would allow Sirius XM to compete with terrestrial broadcasters for listeners.
After receiving communications by public officials in opposition to the broadcasters, such asPuerto RicoSecretary of StateKenneth McClintock, in rejecting those arguments, the commission said Sirius XM's footprint already covers the island but the signal is weak and blocked by tall buildings and foliage. As for the impact on competition, the FCC said it has considered these arguments before and "declined to find that" satellite radio would harm local broadcasters.
The Sirius full terrestrial coverage is available in select sites in the cities of San Juan, Carolina, Bayamón, Cataño, Caguas and Ponce. In the rest of Puerto Rico, coverage is provided by Sirius' constellation of satellites.
In November 2004, a partnership between Sirius,Standard Broadcasting and theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation filed an application with theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to introduce Sirius in Canada. The application was approved on June 16, 2005. The decision was appealed to theCanadian federal cabinet by a number of broadcasting, labour, and arts and culture organizations, including theFriends of Canadian Broadcasting,CHUM Limited, and theNational Campus and Community Radio Association. The groups objected to Sirius' approach to and reduced levels ofCanadian content and French-language programming, along with the exclusion of Canadian non-commercial broadcasting. After a lengthy debate, the cabinet rejected the appeals on September 9, 2005.Sirius Canada was officially launched December 1, 2005.
In 2006 it offered a lifetime plan to subscribers that for a $549 fee it would unlock the top tier channels for unlimited use on any Sirius device, including the Internet and phone. However, the company currently only offers at maximum, a three-year subscription.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has reported poor reception innorthern Canada.
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The Sirius signal is separated into three carriers, one each for the two satellites, and the third for the terrestrial repeater network where available. Sirius receivers decode all three 4 MHz carrier signals at once to achievesignal diversity. This is in contrast to XM which uses six carriers and decodes three 2 MHz carriers to economize on receiver power consumption and complexity at the cost of channel-changing speed. There is an intentional four-second delay between the two satellite carrier signals. This enables the receiver to maintain a large buffer of the audio stream, which, along withforward error correction, helps keep the audio playing in the event that the signal is temporarily lost, such as when driving under an overpass or otherwise losingline-of-sight of any of the satellites or ground repeater stations.
A third, separate signal is uplinked to the AMC-6Ku-band satellite and received by 36-inch (910 mm)satellite dishes for the ground repeater network. This third signal is broadcast on a third segment of the signal.
The technology for Sirius Satellite Radio receivers as well as some of the uplink equipment, and the studio encoder, originated at Bell Labs in the late 1990s and subsequent years. The studio encoder was a result of Bell Labs' efforts in statistical multiplexing of perceptual audio coded signals, a cousin of the MP3 standards. The waveform design for the terrestrial and satellite signals, as well as the early prototype receivers, were implemented in anFPGA logic and tested in the field to verify the performance of the receivers. This work was contracted by Sirius toLucent Technologies, at the time a spinoff of AT&T. Early prototypes were followed by a number of generations ofASIC custom designed chipsets, supplied at first by Agere Systems and later supplied by Agere Systems and their competitor STMicroelectronics.
Three signals from three different sources (satellite, satellite, and terrestrial) are therefore combined in the receiver as radio signals, (not as audio signals). The three signals need to be combined constructively (avoiding situations where bad signals pollute good signals) in the receiver before being decoded. Heavy error correction is applied to the signals. All three signals contain the same audio content on all the channels that the receiver can receive, with the exception of one audio program waveform being transmitted ahead of the other two by approximately four seconds. With this time skew, the signals, once realigned, need to see an 8-second obstruction of overpass fade in order to lose audio content. This increases the robustness of the signal delivery in most driving conditions.
In order to recover meaningful signal and error-free audio from a signal impaired by interference and fading, the receiver uses concatenated Reed-Solomon block coding and Forward Error Correction encoding and decoding (codec). This technique was proven in the early days of satellite modems in the late 1970s. Linkabit, then run by Irwin Jacobs prior to his involvement with Qualcomm, offered such a codec for rack mounting in satellite earth stations. The Sirius signal uses more robust error correction on control channels than on the audio content, trading off error correction and bandwidth differently for separate categories of bits in the signal waveform.
The terrestrial carrier is an OFDM QPSK signal, and cousin to WiMax and LTE, with the particular feature that more than one transmitter operates on the same frequency, forming a single frequency network. A number of transmitters can be placed around a city to create coverage that is less subject to fading than if a single transmitter were used. The satellite signal is QPSK. Both satellite and terrestrial signals have hierarchical modulation superposed on the original signal, a measure created to add bandwidth at a small expense in the satellite link budget for decoding the core audio content.
This architecture has worked remarkably well in avoiding drop out of audio signal when driving under highway overpasses, and when scintillating (very deep and frequent losses in signal strength caused by radio fading from trees) conditions exist. Since Sirius and XM separately entered the market with incompatible waveforms on the satellite, one would logically conclude that the merged company will eventually evolve the signal format again to take advantage of their size, but this is a speculative statement. The use of a satellite and terrestrial combined service has been adopted by theDVB-SH standard, and companies such as ICO communications who cooperated with Alcatel-Lucent on system design and field trials. ONDAS, a Madrid-based company, also adopted this pioneering system architecture.
The receiver is designed to mitigate and retain signal quality in hostile signal conditions and the relatively weak signal levels from distant satellites. Because the satellites are not all geostationary they appear and disappear over the horizon. Terrestrial signals are present only in major cities to augment the satellite signals.
Approximately five chipset versions were built by Agere and approximately 4 versions were built bySTMicroelectronics after the initial prototypes, although all of the early receivers included an Agere chipset known as Northstar. This platform enjoyed the highest volume of chipsets to date, representing the bulk of total production from 2002 to 2010. As of 2010, most of the chipsets are produced by STMicroelectronics.
At the heart of a Sirius receiver is a custom application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip called theBaseband Integrated Circuit currently the STA240, which is produced by STMicroelectronics. The chip contains embeddedARM7TDMI and ARM946E-S microprocessors synthesized fromIP cores. Every baseband has a unique Electronic Serial Number (or Sirius ID). Another major section of a Sirius receiver is the tuner. The tuner is also a customASIC, the STA210. The tuner connects to the antenna, and receives the incoming satellite and terrestrial signals at 2.315 GHz and downconverts them tointermediate frequency signals at around 75 MHz. The strength of the signals is approximately −50dBm in clear-sky conditions. The IF signals are fed to the STA240, which are digitized, demodulated, error-corrected, de-interleaved, and decrypted using specialized circuits on the chip. The baseband processor utilizes a 16MBSDRAM memory to buffer four seconds of one of the satellite signals in order to bring it into time coincidence with the other forMaximal-ratio combining. On newer receivers with a "pause" feature, a dual-port PSRAM is employed to store up to 60 minutes of the selected channel. The baseband processor outputs digital audio over a Serial Peripheral Interface, which is fed to a D/A converter to produce the analog audio signal. The front-end of a Sirius receiver is called thehead unit, required to display descriptive text (such as the category, channel, artist, and song name) and provide controls to the user. This is implemented by the third-party designers of Sirius-ready receivers, using a microprocessor of their choice.
Sirius offers car radios and home entertainment systems, as well as car and home kits for portable use. The Sirius receiver includes the antenna module and the receiver module. The antenna module picks up signals from the ground repeaters or the satellite, amplifies the signal and filters out any interference. The signal is then passed on to the receiver module. Inside the receiver module is a chipset consisting of eight chips. The chipset converts the signals from 2.3 gigahertz (GHz) to a lower intermediate frequency. Sirius also offers an adapter that allows conventional car radios to receive satellite signals.
Sirius broadcasts using 12.5 MHz of theS band between 2320 and 2332.5 MHz. Audio channels are digitally compressed using a proprietary variant ofLucent'sPerceptual Audio Coder compression algorithm and encrypted with a proprietaryconditional access system. Sirius has announced that they intend to implementhierarchical modulation technology to economize on bandwidth up to 25%.[51]
Each receiver must be connected to an external antenna, which is included with the receiver. Antenna placement is crucial to receiving a clear signal. In some locations users have experienced difficulty receiving the Sirius programming because the signal is not consistently strong. For the best reception, antennas should be placed such that they have an unobstructed view of the sky (preferably on rooftops without overhangingeaves or trees). If this is not an option, the antenna should be placed on an exterior wall. When placing on an exterior wall, the antenna should be mounted to a wall which faces the southern continental United States in order to minimize the likelihood of the building itself blocking the signal.[52][53]
Sirius' satellites are named Radiosat because there is already a fleet of satellites namedSirius, launched by Sweden's NSAB (Nordiska Satellitaktiebolaget, or Nordic Satellite AB, and known today asSES Sirius) and used for general telecommunications andsatellite television throughoutSweden and the rest ofScandinavia.
The current primary uplink facility for Sirius, which was formerly used as the uplink site forWestern Union'sWestar fleet of communication satellites from the early 1970s to the late 1980s, is located inGlenwood, New Jersey. The original facility was located on the roof of the building housing the Sirius studios inRockefeller Center inNew York City but has since been decommissioned.
Sirius' spacecraft Radiosat 1 through Radiosat 4 were manufactured bySpace Systems/Loral. The first three of the series were orbited in 2000 byProton K Block-DM3 launch vehicles, with the final three-satellite constellation completed on November 30, 2000. Radiosat 4, built as a ground spare for the now-decommissioned elliptical mission, was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution'sNational Air and Space Museum in October 2012.[54] It is on display at theSteven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The satellites are based on the Space Systems/Loral 1300 platform. Before the elliptical satellites were decommissioned, all three satellites broadcast directly to the consumer's receiver, but due to the highly elliptical orbit only two of them broadcast at any given time. Today the satellites are located in the southern sky in the United States.
Satellites Radiosat 1 through Radiosat 3, now decommissioned, fly ingeosynchronous (notgeostationary)Tundra orbits. Like the geostationary orbit, the tundra orbit has a period of 23 hours, 56 minutes (onesidereal day). Unlike the geostationary orbit, the tundra orbit is elliptical, not circular, and is inclined with respect to theequator rather than orbiting directly over it. The eccentric orbit ensures that each satellite spends about 16 hours of each day high over thecontinental United States. At least one satellite is always visible, with another often visible as well. The orbit's high inclination placesapogee just west ofHudson Bay inCanada, providing a much higher elevation angle for most of the country than is possible from a geostationary orbit. This was intended to reduce blockage from tall buildings in urban areas, allowing a much smaller terrestrial repeater network than does sister network XM, which uses geostationary orbits. This system has since been decommissioned in favor of newer geostationary satellites located at 96.0° and 116.15° that support both the Sirius and XM platforms.
On June 8, 2006, Space Systems/Loral announced that it was awarded a contract for the fifth Sirius spacecraft.[55] The new spacecraft features a nine-meter unfurlable reflector. The first four Sirius spacecraft used more traditional parabolic reflectors. The new satellite has been designed for geostationary orbit, unlike the other satellites in the constellation; the different orbit has the stated purpose of allowing for more consistent reception for fixed location users (many subscribers have reported having to regularly reposition their antennas for optimal reception). Radiosat 5 (FM-5) is in ageostationary orbit at 96.0° West. It was launched June 30, 2009, and announced to be in service as of September 9, 2009.[56]
On October 14, 2010, the XM-5 satellite was launched aboard anInternational Launch Services (ILS)Proton vehicle. It was placed into a geostationary orbit at 85.2° West to serve the eastern half of the United States. It is named XM-5 because it serves as an in-orbit spare that can replace both the Sirius Radiosat satellites and the XM satellites. The satellite was manufactured by Space Systems/Loral and was fully operational on December 3, 2010.[57]
On February 29, 2008, the launch service provider International Launch Services (ILS) announced a contract which includes a launch of the SIRIUS FM-6 satellite on a ProtonBriz M launch vehicle.[58] The launch planned for March 6, 2012, was canceled due to concerns with a design defect in the solar panel deployment.[59] The Radiosat 6 (FM-6) satellite was launched on October 25, 2013, and was put in a geostationary orbit at 116.15° West which services the western half of the United States.[60]
In addition to the audio programming, the Sirius broadcast stream also carries aData Services channel that is utilized by capable receivers and graphical display hardware. Some of the data services offered are traffic speed and flow, marine weather, and fuel prices to name just a few. Examples of capable hardware are theRaymarine SR100 Satellite Weather receiver and the Alpine NVE-N872A Satellite Traffic Ready navigation system.
Sirius radio receivers were commonly integrated intovehicle audio systems, both factory-installed and aftermarket. Automobiles produced byBentley,[61]BMW,Chrysler,Ford,Jaguar,[62]Mazda,[63]Mercedes-Benz,[62]Mitsubishi,[64]Kia,[65][66]Land Rover,Porsche,[67] andVolvo[68] offered Sirius exclusively, while some competing manufacturers only offered XM.Nissan,[62]Subaru,[69] andToyota[70] offered both services, as didVolkswagen andAudi until the 2007 model year, when they switched exclusively to Sirius.[71]
Following the merger, all major automakers continue to offer the combined SiriusXM service on U.S. vehicles.[72]
Sirius service could also be received by home radios and standalone receivers. A number of Sirius-branded receivers were sold, including theStiletto line ofportable media players, and the Starmate,[73] Sportster, and Stratus series of small, portable tuners. Multiple other audio equipment manufacturers sold Sirius-compatible radios and receivers.[74]
In October 2006, Sirius announced that it was launching a new service named Sirius Internet Radio (SIR) that offered approximately 75 of the 135 Sirius channels worldwide to people other than subscribers to its satellite radio service. Prior to this, Sirius subscribers who had a satellite radio were also able to access many of the Sirius channels via the Internet, using a special password, but the service operated at 32 kbit/s and was only available to those who purchased a satellite radio receiver. Sirius Internet Radio is an Internet-only subscription, allowing worldwide listeners to listen to the content without having to purchase a satellite radio receiver, the internet subscription can also be heard onWi-Fi-enabled Internet radio for consumer and business purposes such as those designed byGrace Digital. The service also expands the number of channels that are available toSirius Stiletto 100 users via Wi-Fi.
For an additional fee, Sirius subscribers are also able to access all of the proprietary music channels and most of the talk stations viastreaming media through Sirius.com. A standard 64 kbit/s and "Premium" 128 kbit/s feed are available.
Alternatives to the browser-based player are available such as aYahoo! Widget (designed to look like a miniature Sportster model receiver), and SIRIUS Internet Radio Player (based on Windows Media Player and available as a plug-in or standalone application). Both alternatives have gained popularity with streaming listeners, and offer artist and track name information updated in real time, which is an improvement from the online Sirius player.
A "Lifetime Subscription" is one that continues for the life of the receiver equipment. ... A Lifetime Subscription associated with a home, portable, or plug & play receiver is transferable from one receiver to another receiver, up to a maximum of three (3) times. Each permitted transfer of a Subscription is subject to a transfer fee.
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