Canadian Satellite Radio (aka XM Canada) announced this morning that they have reached 270,000 subscribers as of May 31st.

Along with the announcement, XM Canada was sure to boast that the NHL will be going exclusive with XM on July 1st. The NHL contract with XM is effective for the next eight seasons. 

Last week, President and COO of XM Canada Steven Tapp resigned to "pursue other opportunities." Canadian Satellite Radio has not announced a replacement yet.
 

The President and COO of XM Canada, Steven Tapp, will be leaving the company on June 15th to "pursue other opportunities" the company revealed today.

John Bitove will continue to lead as CEO of the company.

"I would like to thank Stephen for his contributions during our major milestones including the licensing, creation of our programming lineup, launch of our service, development of our studios, build-out of our repeater network and our launch," said John Bitove, chairman and CEO of Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. "Stephen's skills in business startup ensured that XM Canada was launched successfully in November 2005."

Leaving to "pursue other opportunities" generally doesn't have a good connotation behind it. And considering how much Sirius Canada has bested the efforts of XM Canada, it's an understandable move.

The challenge to Bitrove is to find leadership that can push the company forward at the pace that it needs to stay competitive. Having big plans is one thing, it's executing them that matters.