Podcasting Killed the Satellite Radio

Posted: March 15th, 2009 | By: Steve Mullen | Filed under: Media News, Social Media Opinion | No Comments

Video may have killed the radio star, but podcasting and Internet radio are killing satellite radio. SIRIUS and XM satellite radio services (now joined to become one company, SIRIUS XM) , were once great destinations for commercial-free niche programming and a nearly endless variety of talk, news, and sports programming. I was a subscriber of SIRIUS until very recently. Despite listening to very little other than podcasts when I’m driving, I did enjoy the variety of commercial free music in my office. I have my own collection of digital music, but it’s nice to not listen to the same tracks over and over again, no matter how many there are in the mix.

The problem for satellite radio, however, is that Internet radio and podcasting are maturing and filling the space that satellite radio once owned. Not only is there similar content available out there, the vast majority of Internet radio sites and podcasts are free. SIRIUS is trying to combat this with an iPhone app that will allow subscribers access to the company’s Internet audio on their iPhones. This is a great idea, but it’s too little too late.

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