Satellite Radio Hits One Million

By Jimmy Schaeffler

Although much was said about the U.S. direct broadcast satellite (DBS) industry reaching 20 million subscribers last month, no attention was given when the satellite radio industry recently passed the 1-million-subscriber mark. No one seemed to notice, including Sirius Satellite Radio [Nasdaq: SIRI], XM Satellite Radio [Nasdaq: XMSR], industry trade associations, the media, and Wall Street. The milestone shows the remarkable growth of satellite radio since its launch roughly two years ago. The lack of fanfare about the achievement was an opportunity lost to trumpet the accomplishments of the infant industry and whet the appetites of consumers.