Satellite radio giant SiriusXM has announced that is has officially surpassed the 30 million-subscriber mark. The company has recently experienced strong subscriber growth, resulting in a total of 30.1 million subscribers at the end of March 2016.
News about streaming music and video subscription services such as Spotify and Netflix seem to dominate the headlines these days, but in relatively quiet fashion, SiriusXM has turned into a true powerhouse. Just after the turn of the Millennium, two separate satellite radio services, XM and Sirius, debuted, and though each amassed millions of subscribers, neither one could turn a profit, partly due to the fierce competition between the two. In 2008, a long-awaited merger finally occurred, creating what is now known as SiriusXM.
In addition to the most popular and most expensive radio personality on the service, Howard Stern, SiriusXM also features over 100 channels of talk, news, sports and music, most of which are commercial-free. A subscription to one of the various packages offered by the service ranges in price from $6.99 to $16.99, and along with the dedicated satellite receivers that may be used in homes and cars, a mobile app is available to stream content.
Although many doubted whether the service could survive even post-merger, in 2015, it actually experienced its highest subscriber growth since 2007, leading it to surpass the 30 million milestone.
CEO Jim Meyer touted the number, stating: "SiriusXM has grown from a pioneering start-up to a media powerhouse in less than 15 years of service by providing listeners with the best audio entertainment available. Our exclusive, unmatched content and ease of use has led us to this important subscriber milestone."
Meyer claims the future for the service is bright.
"We believe there is more success to come because of our relentless search for new and exciting content, our intense focus on subscriber satisfaction, and our significant investments in next-generation services and platforms," he said.
In comparison, Netflix, the largest streaming video service, has 39.1 million subscribers, while Spotify has 100 million, but just over 30 million on its paid tier, just about equaling those of SiriusXM. One of the advantages SiriusXM has over its competitors is its built-in availability in cars, trucks and other vehicles. While Wi-Fi streaming is certainly available in vehicles as well, the simplicity and ease of use offered by SiriusXM makes it a much more popular choice with drivers.
