XM has more than 6 million subscribers now. In a press conference here at CES, President/CEO Hugh Panero projected the satcaster would end 2006 with 9 million paying customers.
Meanwhile, Sirius Satellite said its subscriber base is now at 3.3 million and projects it will end the coming year with more than 6 million.
XM says it extended its lead over its competitor in 2005 by adding 2.7 million net new subscribers, and expects more than 3 million net new subscribers in 2006. But Sirius, in a press release this morning, says it was “the market share leader in terms of new satellite radio subscriber additions” last quarter, adding 1.14 million net new subs. Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin issued a statement calling his company the “fastest-growing provider in the category.”
More than 85 percent of XM’s nearly 900,000 net new subscribers during the fourth quarter came from retail sales. XM ended 2005 with 5,933,000 subscribers, not including radios purchased as Christmas gifts that were not activated before Dec. 31 and will be activated during the first quarter of 2006.
“This is our sixth CES. We’ve come a long way,” Panero told the reporters who packed the XM booth.
XM Surpasses 6 Million; Sirius Says It’ll Be There in a Year and Is Growing Faster
XM Surpasses 6 Million; Sirius Says It’ll Be There in a Year and Is Growing Faster
