<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=mwstoryheadline>SIRIUS Satellite Radio Passes 800,000 Subscriber Mark </TD></TR><TR><TD class=mwstoryauthor height=40>11/23/2004 8:39:00 AM </TD></TR><TR><TD>* Company On Track to Reach One Million Subscribers by End of Year * SIRIUS Begins Holiday Season With Innovative Products and Unequaled Programming, Including NFL, NBA, College Sports and Commercial-Free Music
NEW YORK, Nov 23, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- SIRIUS (
SIRI ), the premium satellite radio provider known for delivering the most compelling commercial-free music and sports programming to cars and homes across the country, today announced that it has surpassed 800,000 subscribers, and remains on track to achieve one million subscribers by the end of the year.
SIRIUS passed the 800,000 mark on November 22, and is well-positioned going into the busy holiday selling season. During this period, SIRIUS will have multiple portable "Plug & Play" products on sale, including the SIRIUS Sportster, a receiver with features for the sports enthusiast, and the XACT Communication XTR1 "Stream Jockey," a palm-sized unit that has its own integrated headphone connection and volume controls. Both receivers are compatible with optional boom boxes for portable use.
SIRIUS will also have "Plug & Play" receivers available from Audiovox, Blaupunkt, Clarion, DISH, JVC and Kenwood. The Orbiter SIRIUS satellite radio receiver will be available at all RadioShack stores, and the Streamer, manufactured by Brix, will be available at trucks stops and travel centers.
Throughout the football season, the company will feature SIRIUS NFL Sunday Drive, the programming package that allows subscribers nationwide to hear every NFL game each week, and SIRIUS College Sports Radio, featuring play-by- play coverage of college football and basketball from over 25 top programs around the country. SIRIUS is also home to 65 channels of 100% commercial-free music as well as over 55 channels of news, sports, weather, traffic information, original entertainment and call-in talk shows, all for the great value of $12.95 a month, with no added premiums, and discounts for advance payments of one-year or more.
"SIRIUS is on a roll," said Mel Karmazin, Chief Executive Officer of SIRIUS. "We are very excited about this upcoming holiday season, now that we have such a wide array of innovative products on retail shelves. When you combine these new models with our programming initiatives such as the NFL, NBA, college sports, Eminem's 'Shade 45', Maxim Radio and, beginning in 2006, Howard Stern, you can easily see why we believe SIRIUS is the gift of choice for the holidays."
SIRIUS also began a new advertising campaign featuring the NFL and commercial-free music programming to support all of its recent initiatives, and more holiday-related advertisements are planned. Many retailers will feature the SIRIUS $30-Below rebate promotion, making the hardware even more affordable.
SIRIUS and Ford recently announced that Ford will offer SIRIUS as a dealer-installed option in four additional models for a total of 13, and plans to offer SIRIUS as a factory-installed option on up to 20 vehicles over the next two model years. DaimlerChrysler currently offers SIRIUS as a factory and dealer installed option, and Mercedes-Benz recently announced that it is offering SIRIUS as a factory installed option as well. BMW also offers SIRIUS as a factory and dealer installed option.
SIRIUS continues to have the strongest balance sheet in satellite radio, with cash of approximately $800 million.
SIRIUS radios for the car and home beginning at $149 are available at major national retailers such as Best Buy, Circuit City, Crutchfield, Office Depot, RadioShack, Sears, Target, Wal-Mart and over 20,000 retail locations around the country, including DISH Network outlets, as well as many truck stops and travel centers. SIRIUS radios are also available in select Ford, DaimlerChrysler, BMW, Audi, Volkswagen, Nissan and Infiniti automobiles.
About SIRIUS
SIRIUS, now available to over 10 million DISH Network satellite TV and SIRIUS Satellite Radio subscribers, provides listeners with over 120 channels of the best commercial-free music, sports, information and entertainment, with digital quality sound coast-to-coast, broadcast daily from New York City, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, Houston and Daytona. SIRIUS offers 65 channels of 100% commercial-free music, and features over 55 channels of world-class sports, news, talk, entertainment, traffic and weather for a monthly subscription fee of only $12.95, with greater savings for upfront payments of multiple months or a year or more. SIRIUS also broadcasts live play-by-play games of the NFL, NBA, and NHL, and is the Official Satellite Radio partner of the NFL.
SIRIUS Satellite Radio products for the car, truck, home, RV and boat are manufactured by Alpine, Audiovox, Blaupunkt, Brix Labs, Clarion, Delphi, Eclipse, Jensen, JVC, Kenwood, Sanyo and XACT Communications and can be purchased at major retailers including Advance Auto Parts, Audio Express, Best Buy, Car Toys, Circuit City, Crutchfield, Good Guys, Office Depot, Sears, Target, Tweeter, Ultimate Electronics and Wal-Mart, along with RadioShack and DISH Network outlets. SIRIUS is also available at heavy truck dealers and truck stops nationwide.
SIRIUS' exclusive automotive partners DaimlerChrysler, Ford and BMW represent over 40% of new cars and light trucks sold annually in the United States. Automotive brands currently offering SIRIUS radios in select new car models include BMW, MINI, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep(R), Nissan, Infiniti, Mazda, Audi, Ford, Lincoln-Mercury, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Volkswagen. Automotive brands that have announced plans to offer SIRIUS radios in select models include Jaguar, Volvo, Land Rover and Aston Martin. In 2004, SIRIUS radios are expected to be available in over 80 different car models, with more than 50 of them factory programs. SIRIUS is also available as a factory option on select Freightliner, Kenworth and Peterbilt Class 8 trucks. Also, Hertz currently offers SIRIUS in over 30 vehicle models at 53 major locations around the country. In addition, the Penske companies -- Penske Auto Group and United Auto Group -- are offering SIRIUS radios as a factory installed option, where available, in their cars and trucks through their dealerships.
Some of the best names in boating and recreational vehicles also offer SIRIUS including Carver, Formula, Four Winns, Glastron, Godfrey, Hydra Sports, Larson, Lowe, Mastercraft, Monterrey, Ranger, Regal, Sea Ray, Skier's Choice and Wellcraft, as well as RV and coach builders Winnebago, Fleetwood, American Coach, Starcraft and Alfa Leisure.
Click on
http://www.sirius.com to listen to SIRIUS live, or to find a SIRIUS retailer or car dealer in your area.
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