The most distinct feature that sets satellite radio apart from broadcast radio is the absence of commercials. Satellite radio is aired with zero advertising, which means users have the pleasure of enjoying their programs uninterruptedly. Broadcast radio has frequent commercial breaks.

No Commercials – The Biggest Plus Point In Satellite Radio

All of satellite radio’s income is from subscriptions to the service and there are hundreds of channels being offered with a variety of programming by the major players in the industry. You can expect to listen to any kind of music without exception on satellite radio with a choice to fit any taste. There are channels exclusively for certain music groups and music genres. With broadcast radio, the income is from advertising while the service is free to its listeners.

Subscriptions And Equipment

Subscriptions to satellite radio signals can cost anything from $9 – 13 per month. Next comes the cost of activating the service with the provider. Different discounted plans are available for different types of users.

You need a special satellite receiver to be able to receive satellite radio programming and this must be the same brand as the provider. These tuners and receivers are portable compact units that you can switch between your car, home and office since they are ready to plug and play.

Sound Quality

When it comes to satellite radio, reception is digital quality. There is absolutely no static. With broadcast radio, the sound quality is dependant on many criteria. If there are large buildings in the way, quality of reception decreases.

On satellite radio, you can view the song information on your receiver for as long as the song plays. This is especially nice rather than wait for the announcer to tell you and not know at all if you did miss the announcement.

Content

A major difference between broadcast radio and satellite radio is the content censorship. There is uncensored content on satellite radio while one cannot expect the same with broadcast radio. 

Satellite radio can be heard over the Internet on any PC and you can get up to date information about the broadcasting schedules on the company websites with details of what is coming up soon. This is not available with broadcast radio.

Video programming is shortly expected on satellite radio by the major services in the industry. Broadcast radio has no such plans.

Thanks to its convenience and excellent sound quality and programming content, satellite radio is extremely popular when compared to broadcast radio.

As the second largest in the world, Sirius satellite radio is gaining fast ground with its commercial-free programming and unique content. The broadcast is via three satellites owned by Sirius and available in the continental US and Canada. This guarantees its listeners digital quality sound with uninterrupted reception. The Sirius service is available through a monthly subscription that will be based on what plan they select. Users will also need to buy a Sirius satellite radio receiver to listen to their favorite Sirius radio channels.

All satellite radio fans know the Sirius brand very well by now and there are several car companies that sell their cars with pre-installed Sirius satellite radio receivers. All the customer needs to do is activate the service and start enjoying their programs. As far as receivers are concerned, Sirius makes a range of them that can be purchased both for home and vehicle use.

Sirius Satellite Radio – Subscription Cost

Sirius’s pricing and content are both competitive. The Sirius satellite radio receiver is in the range of $200 with installation costs ranging from $ 50 to about $100. You can choose to install it yourself and save. To access the Sirius satellite radio service, it would cost you approximately $0.50 per day. You will have access to hundreds of channels covering music, sports, news, talk and entertainment shows, etc.

The reception over Sirius radio is always crystal clear no matter where you go and that’s one of the greatest advantages. This is particularly nice for those who spend a lot of time traveling in their car. There is the choice of tuning into any of the hundreds of Sirius radio stations being broadcast.  Whether you are in the US or in Canada you have access to the entire range of Sirius satellite radio channels.  As you enjoy your favorite music genre – from country to hip hop to rap to R&B to jazz to rock to pop – you can see the song information on your Sirius satellite radio receiver just as your song starts up. There is plenty of comedy for those who enjoy these shows.

Original Content

Sirius has tied up exclusively for various shows with major names. To name a few – Howard Stern called the ‘King of all media’, Martha Stewart, E Street Radio, Tony Stewart, etc. Music, news/talk, sports, and talk/entertainment – it’s all there on Sirius radio - bringing you the latest updates. Sirius NASCAR radio keeps you in tune with every race airing live coverage of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup series, NASCAR Busch series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series races, which are the most prominent NASCAR events. NFL on Sirius keeps football fans up to date with every game.

In the field of satellite radio, there are just two names that come to instant recall – XM and Sirius. When we compare Sirius radio vs. XM radio, there are several factors to take into account since both Sirius and XM offer excellent programming covering a vast variety in terms of music, sports, entertainment and talk, news, weather and traffic information. Both XM satellite radio and Sirius satellite radio give their users the options of listening to their broadcasts via a satellite receiver or online. Both are competitively priced. Both XM and Sirius have celebrities on their shows.

 So lets take a look at each service in detail.

XM vs. Sirius – Satellites

While XM has two satellites called Rock and Roll, Sirius owns three satellites over the US. Sirius radio is based out of New York, while XM radio comes from Washington DC. XM radio was launched in 2001 while Sirius radio was launched in 1989. If you compare Sirius vs. XM in terms of number of channels, XM radio offers 170 channels as compared to Sirius’ 130 channels.

Equipment And Pricing

To access satellite radio programming, you need equipment in the way of receivers. Looking at XM vs. Sirius here, XM scores as it has a unit that allows you to link it to your pc, to your car unit or to your regular home unit. XM also has the portable and user-friendly Delphi SkyFi with plenty of features for its users. Sirius also offers portability with its receivers. Both have units that can be used in the car, at home, or even on your boat. The standard receivers of both brand names cost almost the same. The higher end models cost more depending on the extra features available.

With pricing of subscriptions, comparing Sirius vs. XM, Sirius radio is slightly more expensive than XM radio but users claim that the programming variety and the signal quality are worth paying for, which brings us to programming in the XM vs. Sirius comparison.

Programming

Both XM radio and Sirius radio have a loyal fan following with XM having more subscribers than Sirius and both have a healthy competition over content. With Sirius offering 130 channels and XM satellite radio offering 170 channels, preferences depend on the users and what they are looking for.  Sirius satellite radio has tied up with National Public Radio and Public Radio International. When it comes to sports, Sirius has an edge with exclusivity to NBA and NFL games, NASCAR and NHL. XM radio scores in great comedy, music stations and special talk channels. They also broadcast audio books and radio dramas. Finally XM users can opt for the only-online listening over the Internet at a plan that costs less than the regular plans.

If your idea of bliss is zero commercial radio programming with variety, then satellite radio is for you. Add CD-quality sound, absolutely no static interference and uninterrupted transmission wherever you travel. The major players in the market are WorldSpace, XM and Sirius satellite radio. While the service originally started with cars being factory fitted with satellite radios, now anyone can experience satellite radio.

With XM, WorldSpace and Sirius satellite radio, one has access to several radio stations and can listen to different genres of music, enjoy sports, news and other entertaining programs – all completely free of commercials. What’s more, with Sirius satellite radio, no matter where you live in the US, you can listen to the same programming by tuning into around 130 channels. This can be heard in cars, your RVs, boat, truck, office, home and just about anywhere you wish to, using the plug and play satellite radio.

Costs Involved With A Satellite Radio

First comes the cost of the receivers and the mounting hardware. Cost of receiver will vary depending on whether you want just the satellite radio or whether you want to play CDs on it as well. Next comes installing your satellite radio, followed by the monthly subscription to the service provider, which could be XM, WorldSpace or Sirius satellite radio. In some cases, the service provider also offers free activation.

Sirius Satellite Radio

Based out of New York, US, and available across the US and Canada, Sirius satellite radio owns three satellites and offers digital quality sound and some of the best programming, amply proved by its content, where you can hear world-famous names like Howard Stern, Martha Stewart, CNBC, BBC World Service, Radio Disney and lots more like that. One of Sirius satellite radio’s major specialties is its focus on sports radio. You can listen to the commentary of hundreds of games from the NASCAR, NBA, Wimbledon Championships, NFL, ESPN Radio etc.

What Do You Need To Enjoy Sirius Satellite Radio

Several manufacturers make satellite radio receivers specific to the service provider. There are many Sirius-ready radios available, identified by the Sirius logo on the radio. Activation at a small fee is required however, and may need a Sirius tuner sometimes. It is possible to password protect certain channels on your satellite radio. You also get a traffic navigation service with the Sirius service.

Big names in cars such as the Audi, Lexus, Jaguar, BMW, Chrysler, Toyota, Porsche etc. all come with Sirius radios. Even Hertz rent-a-car offers Sirius ready rental cars.

There are plenty of websites dedicated to offering Sirius and XM radio coupons and deals. You will find a lot of special offers on the company website as well. While Sirius radio deals cover packages like the NFL Bundle Offer, Subscriber Offer, Installation Offer, Fall offer and Free shipping coupons, the XM Radio deals can be had in the form of free activation and free trial for three months, special pricing on radio models, special pricing from DirecTV and offers that are exclusive to XM friends and family along with XM coupons offering a variety of rebates. If you intend to get XM satellite radio for the holidays, you can avail deep discounts with the help of XM coupons. For those interested, a really worthwhile XM radio deal is the free two-week subscription to XM Radio Online instead of the usual three-day trial, when you use your special XM coupon code. 

Many sites list a series of promotion codes, coupons and deals. Sirius coupon codes are available on websites that offer 15% off on Sirius satellite radio orders. There are free shipping coupons on orders based on order value. Hot deals are advertised each week with cash back on Sirius radio deals. You can even use the exclusive rebates that give you access to the ‘buy-one-get-one-free’ offers with free ground shipping and the various free trial offers.

Some of the coupon and radio deal websites will list only the most current and officially authorized Sirius coupons and XM coupons with the coupon codes and promotional offers. This could cover the equipment or the service component of these satellite radio companies. With certain Sirius coupon websites, you can enjoy some really great offers. For example, if you order the Stiletto portable unit, you can get an exclusive $60 mail in rebate on the $140 price. There are substantial price offs on other satellite radio models. Current Sirius subscribers can look forward to receiving 50 % off on the Sportster 4 or Stratus when they get their radios activated and keeps the existing and new subscriptions going for at least six months after buying them. On top of this they can also save an extra 42 % off Starmate 4 and 20 % off on the Stiletto 100 Sirius radio.

If you subscribe to these coupon and promotion websites, they will keep you updated with daily newsletters listing the latest XM coupons and Sirius coupons so that you can avail these offers at the right time.