Competition Belied: Opposition To The Proposed Sirius-XM Merger

The two multi-page charts below were created by The Carmel Group in October 2007, eight months following the mid-February 2007 announcement of the proposed merger by the two U.S. satellite radio duopolists, Sirius Satellite Radio (Sirius) and XM Satellite Radio (XM). These two charts indicate clearly and in great detail both 1) the direct competition that exists between Sirius and XM, and 2) the true lack of competition that exists between these two players and the rest of the radio marketplace. Thus, from a competitive point of view, the resulting message remains the same as during the inception of the satellite radio business during the mid-1990s: The competition between Sirius and XM is a critical matter for artists, performers, agents and technicians who work for and with these two entities. Many will lose their jobs in a merger. Perhaps more important, continued competition is critical for consumers. These two charts show that without this continued competition, consumers will not be able to obtain substitutable competition from competitors within the all-important vehicle; and importantly, choice, competitive pricing restraints and service will undoubtedly—and significantly—suffer.

List of Figures

SIRIUS VS. XM PING-PONG CHART # 2: COMPETITIVE ACTIONS/REACTIONS
XM’S VS. SIRIUS’ EXCLUSIVE PROGRAMMING CHART

Competition Belied: Opposition To The Proposed Sirius-XM Merger

The Carmel Group’s Ping-Pong # 2 and Program Competition Charts

List of Figures