XM’s four-year deal with AOL ended, as the online company teamed up with CBS Radio in a similar deal.
Now, XM’s own Web site will be the online home of the satcaster’s music channels.
The music channels that XM contributes to the AOL Radio lineup will no longer be available on AOL beginning May 1.
XM EVP/Chief Marketing Officer Vernon Irvin stated, “XM’s presence on AOL Radio was a valuable way to introduce consumers to our service free of charge. We look forward to building our online subscription business and are confident XM Radio Online’s new introductory rate along with new channels and features coming this spring will help us turn XM fans into subscribers.”
XM Radio Online will be available through May 30 at a price of $2.99 per month for the first six months; it offers 80 channels of commercial music and other programming.
CBS Radio and AOL characterized their deal as a “ground-breaking partnership” whereby CBS will contribute programming to AOL Radio’s Web site.
The companies will combine efforts to create product enhancements including a new player, as well as complete support for the Mac, they said.
Once the AOL Radio’s stations are integrated into its operations, CBS Radio will drive ad sales for AOL’s 200+ stations in addition to its own online streams of 150 stations and custom channels.
A new player developed by CBS Radio and incorporating AOL features will be launched this spring.
