Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin has confirmed that there is an agreement in principle to approve the XM Satellite Radio-Sirius Satellite Radio merger. Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin has confirmed that there is an agreement in principle to approve the XM Satellite Radio-Sirius Satellite Radio merger.
Final conditions on approval included a three-year price freeze, but one that would still allow the companies to pass through programming costs; a la carte and family-friendly programming offerings; a commitment to interoperable and open receivers; and the 8 per cent set-aside (24 channels) for noncommercial and commercial independent programmers. The deadline for making the receiver specs available for outside suppliers has also been moved up to “immediately,” and interoperable radios will be available within nine months rather than a year.
Also XM will pay $17.5 million and Sirius $2.2 million to settle the FCC’s complaints about unauthorised repeaters.
 

Other posts by Nick Snow:

1. Ride to thrive
2. Here isn’t the news
3. Paramount end game?
4. 2024, less will be more
5. AVoD: A Very Onerous Deal?
6. Dominion sees end of KRM reign
7. Charter: The streamer showdown
8. And, so, it is written
9. BT: Tough gig

Categories: Uncategorised