In a recent survey by The Channel Checkers, Sirius was recommended by retailers by 60% while XM was favored by 30% of retailers. 10% said that either/or were fine or equal (leaving 20% who said... nothing? yeah..wait, what?).

It's quickly noted in the article that the survey includes Radio Shack which has a tight relationship with Sirius. Interestingly enough, 10% of retailers at Radio Shack actually recommended XM - this may be due to the fact that reportedly some Radio Shack retailers offer XM as well.

Of the reasons why Sirius was recommended more than XM was NFL, NASCAR and Howard Stern. For XM's recommendations it was more music selection and... French channels. 

The article also reports that while last year there was a significant lean towards Sirius, this year the respondents reported much closer to 50/50 - in terms of new subscriber activations. Curious.

So while it's being recommended more by retailers, new sub activations remain in parity? Odd. That said, The Channel Checkers is predicting that Sirius should outpace XM in terms of new subscriber additions in Q4 of this year.

[The Channel Checkers]