Report: Sirius Leads XM in Holiday Season Recommendations
Friday, November 17, 2006 at 12:49 PM
Tags: 2, XM
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.
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Comments
Um, 60% + 30% + 10% = 100%
Where's the mysterious 20% you are referring to ?
Posted by: Cable Guy ? | November 17, 2006 1:43 PM
just because a retailer recommends one product over the other doesn't necessarily mean that product will outsell the competition. all that means to me is that the retailer has a bias or an agenda (read: quota) that they're serving. sure, more folks may buy sirius, but the kind of person who has to ask a salesperson "which is better" is probably going to wind up returning or exchanging their first pick if they don't like it. people who do their homework before they go to the store know what they want when they walk through the door. so retailer recommendation doesn't mean jack to them.
Posted by: delbert_grady ? | November 17, 2006 2:08 PM
*hands Ryan a calculator*
Posted by: WebMatt01 | November 17, 2006 2:18 PM
How many people do you really think will give XM a shot if they try Sirius and find it lacking? I think recommendations are a huge deal in an industry where hardly anyone can distinguish between the competitors.
Posted by: Andy ? | November 17, 2006 2:19 PM
Crap. I need to go back to school.
Thanks Cable Guy... for keep my math in check. :)
Posted by: Ryan Saghir ? | November 17, 2006 2:29 PM
Come on Oprah ... start giving away those XM radios ... and plug the heck out of channel 156 - at least. Has she even mentioned XM on her show?
I'm beginning to question the value of her contract.
But if XM hits a million subs this quarter, then I'll be impressed and change my mind.
Sirius will hit a million - imo.
Posted by: Mike ? | November 17, 2006 2:47 PM
XM is not going to outsell Sirius now or ever again til Howard Stern and the NFL go away. The Stern Effect hasnt lost its mojo nor will it.
Posted by: Justin | November 17, 2006 3:07 PM
"I'm beginning to question the value of her contract."
Beginning? That contract is a waste of money. Fortunately for XM, it's not that much money, in the big scheme of things and they can write it off as a loss in some future filing.
Frankly, I just don't see her core audience of fat housefrau's and shut-ins as adopting satellite radio in substantial numbers. Besides, that crowd can barely work the TV remote and Sirius/XM are hardly plug-and-play easy.
Posted by: MikeHunt ? | November 17, 2006 4:01 PM
It totally depends on how much she plugs the XM service. If she does a good job of it in the next 5 weeks (and over the next 3 years), it could be the cheapest advertising XM has ever had. There are millions of commuting women that are potential XM customers.
In 3 years she could turn out to be far cheaper that Stern - on a per sub basis.
But she does have to mention and plug the XM service. She hasn't done much yet. But when she does - she will move some radios. I can't think of anyone else with her reach.
Posted by: Mike | November 17, 2006 4:19 PM
"all that means to me is that the retailer has a bias or an agenda (read: quota) that they're serving."
Your kidding, right?? A bias or an agenda at Best Buy or Circuit? These kids have no quota to make...they are kids that prefer one over the other and recommend it because of that.
And for the RadioShack deal, all corporate stores sell Sirius, all franchise stores can sell XM if they want to. A lot of them sell both because of the option.
Posted by: Anonymous Coward | November 17, 2006 5:14 PM
Odd that XM 172 SportPlus is being pushed.
Shows the power of SportPlus
Posted by: Travis | November 17, 2006 7:05 PM
I'd love to know the percentage of returns for XM/Sirius equipment after the holidays.
Posted by: johnnygriswold ? | November 17, 2006 9:43 PM
If you chose a Satrad company based on what a sixteen year old at Best Buy says you are an idiot, period.
Posted by: History Guy ? | November 17, 2006 10:04 PM
Commuting woman don't watch oprah. They have jobs. :)
Going out in the car to do home maker jobs is not commuting. :)- Home makers are a better audience anyway since they have the opportunity to listen longer than a person with a desk job.
Posted by: AW | November 18, 2006 7:33 PM
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Posted by: cxvsdfdsf | July 5, 2008 7:44 AM