Now comes the really hard part… XM (NSDQ: XMSR) and Sirius (NSDQ: SIRI) have just announced the completion of the merger. The new company, SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. will now trade under Sirius’ old ticker (“SIRI”) starting today. Now that the two rivals can stop competing with each other, XM…

The 16 month merger drama has ended: the FCC has approved Sirius Satellite Radio’s (NSDQ: SIRI) $3.6 billion buyout of rival XM Satellite Radio (NSDQ: XMSR), which means that there will only be one sat radio operator in the country now, with 18 million-plus subscribers. The vote was 3-2 in…

The conclusion of the XM-Sirius (NSDQ: SIRI) saga is playing out like the final 2 minutes of a close basketball game. All signs are that the deal will be approved. It was reported yesterday that the swing voter on the FCC, Deborah Taylor Tate, would approve the union, provided XM…

Update 2: Now WSJ is reporting that a tentative deal has been reached to approve the merger. According to the report, Tate will give her blessing to the union upon the implementation of certain enforcement actions and a $20 million fine combined between the two companies (note: that $20 million…

There have been so many false finishes to the interminable XM-Sirius (NSDQ: SIRI) approval process, that it’s probably best to hold off on all reporting until there’s a decisive vote. Still, here’s where things stand right now. Michael Copps, a well-known critic of media consolidation, voted against approval last night,…

Still awaiting regulatory approval for its merger with Sirius (NSDQ: SIRI), XM (NSDQ: XMSR) announced Q2 revenue of $318 million, a 15 percent increase from $277 million in the year-ago quarter. Net income narrowed to $120 million from $176 million. As it said in a separate statement yesterday, the company…

Everyone has “learned” it at the same time: U.S. Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin will recommend clearing Sirius Satellite Radio’s (NSDQ: SIRI) proposed purchase of rival XM Satellite Radio (NSDQ: XMSR), and will remove the last big hurdle for the $5 billion deal, with a vote in as little…

XM Satellite Radio (NSDQ: XMSR) has settled a lawsuit brought by EMI against the firm over the Pioneer Inno digital media player, which has live recording capabilities. This is the last of the four major record labels to settle the suit filed in 2006, and the terms were not disclosed.…

XM’s (NSDQ: XMSR) multi-year agreement to carry Major League Baseball requires the satellite operator to maintain $120 million in an escrow account. But the company noted in a filing last week that this account is placing some strains on its finances. From the filing: “This escrow arrangement, which we intend…

After many delays, light at the end of the tunnel finally emerges… The Federal Communications Commission could decide on the merger between Sirius Satellite Radio (NSDQ: SIRI) with rival XM Satellite Radio by the end of June, Bloomberg reported. Still, the FCC has no plans to address the matter at…

Following a weak earnings report from its fiancé XM (NSDQ: XMSR), Sirius (NSDQ: SIRI) announced Q1 revs of $270.4 million 33 percent higher than $204 million in the year-ago quarter. Note that XM’s growth rate was only 17 percent. And instead of reporting a growing loss, Sirius slimmed its loss…

As it waits and waits for approval to merge with Sirius (NSDQ: SIRI), XM (NSDQ: XMSR) reported Q1 revenue of $308 million, a 17 percent increase from $264 million in the year-ago quarter. Another thing that XM shareholders are waiting a long time for: profitability. Net loss widened in the…

How naive I was: Back in February I wrote that by extending the deadline for their merger agreement to May 1, XM (NSDQ: XMSR) and Sirius (NSDQ: SIRI) should be giving themselves enough time to get FCC approval. Nope. May 1 is tomorrow and there’s still no word from the…

The merger of satellite radio operators Sirius (NSDQ: SIRI) and XM (NSDQ: XMSR) has been cleared by the DOJ. This is a significant hurdle, though FCC approval is still required for the deal to close. That could come soon, if increasingly loud chatter is to be believed. And FCC Chairman…

This should be long enough: XM (NSDQ: XMSR) and Sirius (NSDQ: SIRI) have extended their merger agreement to May 1, as the clock continues to tick on regulatory approval. Both companies have said they expect approval in the near future, but the agreement had been set to expire tomorrow, so…

As it concludes week 53 of waiting for Department of Justice approval of its merger with rival satellite radio provider Sirius (NSDQ: SIRI), XM Satellite Radio (NSDQ: XMSR) said its Q4 net loss narrowed by $18 million over the prior year to $239 million compared to last year’s $257 million.…

Starbucks and XM (NSDQ: XMSR) radio will end a longstanding joint marketing agreement that will result in the Starbucks XM Cafe channel going off the air. The agreement, which established a Starbucks branded channel and covered in-store radio, had been slated to continue into 2009, according to an SEC filing.…

As expected, satellite radio operator XM (NSDQ: XMSR) has come to an agreement with Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) pertaining to the Pioneer Inno, a receiver capable of recording songs. XM announced a similar agreement with Universal on Monday, and it was reported that a deal with Warner would soon…

It’s not the big news that XM (NSDQ: XMSR) shareholders have been waiting for, but the company says it has come to an agreement with Universal Music Group over the Pioneer Inno, a receiver that can also record songs. Early last year, XM was slapped with an RIAA lawsuit, as…