# XM Rate Increase coming April 2nd



## syphix (Jun 23, 2004)

Letters are going out describing the increase (to $12.95...the multiple plan still stays at $6.99 for each additional box, up to 4). Included in the price increase, though, will be XM Online and High Voltage (Opie & Anthony).

Here's an image of the letter:
http://img27.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img27&image=albumpic6kz.jpg

EDIT: There's threads elsewhere on the web today questioning whether this is true or a hoax...only time (and letters in the mailbox) will tell...


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## Scott Greczkowski (Mar 21, 2002)

It's OFFICIAL now.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050228/dcm030_1.html

XM Satellite Radio Expands Basic Service and Announces Price Changes Effective April 2; XM Offers Existing Subscribers Unique Opportunity to Lock in Current Rate for Up to Five Years
Monday February 28, 10:12 am ET

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- XM Satellite Radio, the nation's leading provider of satellite radio with more than 3.2 million subscribers, today announced that it is expanding its basic service package, and that the monthly subscription price for XM's basic service will increase to $12.95 beginning April 2, 2005. XM is also offering existing customers the unique opportunity to lock in the current $9.99 monthly rate with a one-year prepaid plan and deeper discounts with a two, three, four, or five-year prepaid plan until April 2. 
(Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050228/DCM030 )
(Logo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000724/XMSATLOGO ) 
The price change will not affect XM's Family Plan, which allows XM subscribers to add up to four additional subscriptions for $6.99 a month per radio. Beginning April 2, XM's expanded basic service will include the Internet service XM Radio Online, which offers more than 70 channels of XM music and talk programming (previously $3.99 per month), and the High Voltage channel, featuring the talk radio duo Opie & Anthony (previously $1.99 per month).

Since the national launch of XM Radio in November 2001, XM has dramatically expanded its channel lineup from 100 channels to 151 channels. XM has converted all of its music channels to a commercial-free format and invested heavily to add 21 traffic & weather channels, 16 channels dedicated to Major League Baseball, nine college sports channels, and XM Public Radio, featuring legendary journalist Bob Edwards, among other channel additions. This is the only price change since XM's 2001 launch.

Hugh Panero, XM President & CEO, said, "XM's growth to date demonstrates that the potential for satellite radio is far greater than anyone anticipated. This new pricing approach will help fund future technology development, enable us to offer more attractively-priced radios and maintain our programming excellence. Together, these initiatives should result in XM exceeding its current target of 20 million customers by 2010. Most importantly, XM is instituting the pricing change in a way that adds value to the basic service and provides existing customers the opportunity to lock in the current lower monthly rate -- a unique opportunity rarely offered by subscription entertainment services, including satellite radio, satellite television and cable television."


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## rid0617 (Dec 27, 2004)

and to think the U.K. has had satellite radio for years and it's free. typical bleed the customers for all they can handle.


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

O & A will love this. They have *****in' about the fact that some of their listeners didn't want to pony up $1.99 a month. The downside is that a few folks who won't like their content will have access and might complain.

I like this deal... I pay for O & A and would like to be able to receive the XM online service but it wasn't worth that much to me. So basically it costs me a buck a month to gain XM online. I also have two other radios on the family plan, so it is good they aren't going up...

Not the end of the world here as they match Sirius's fee, and the stock price should respond nicely to the added revenue.......


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

"and to think the U.K. has had satellite radio for years and it's free. typical bleed the customers for all they can handle."

Where on earth did you get that? The UK most certainly does not have SDARS (satellite mobile radio). They've got free satellite audio streams - so do we, you know - the kind where you need a dish. SDARS is so far uniquely American.


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

Also their FREE Tv is nothing of the kind..... Citizens pay a tax on each TV which amounts to about $200+ a year PER set to help pay for the BBC budget. I don't know if they have something similar for radios.......


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## james2006 (Oct 11, 2004)

i like this increase, when i got xm 2 years ago i got a multi-year for $199. Now i'll just lock in the same rate for five years (you can get a prorated refund at any time).


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Wow!! XM stock was up $4.55 today, 15%. Not bad. This does take away one of the advantages over SIrius though.


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

" Citizens pay a tax on each TV which amounts to about $200+ a year PER set to help pay for the BBC budget. I don't know if they have something similar for radios......."

The TV license is per household, not per set, and covers BBC PAL (analog), DVB-T (terrestrial), DVB-S (Sat) and radio (though if you just have a radio you don't need a license)


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## rid0617 (Dec 27, 2004)

MarkA said:


> " Citizens pay a tax on each TV which amounts to about $200+ a year PER set to help pay for the BBC budget. I don't know if they have something similar for radios......."
> 
> The TV license is per household, not per set, and covers BBC PAL (analog), DVB-T (terrestrial), DVB-S (Sat) and radio (though if you just have a radio you don't need a license)


LOL you beat me to it. I lived near Alconberry AFB for 18 months while in the AF. It was worth the license to me not to have to sit through commercials. Don't know about now but back then all the BBC stations were commercial free.


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## DaveTinNY (Nov 8, 2004)

I'm glad I locked in my two year deal at $9.99, payed up front. Opie and Anthony I could care less about (same for Stern). I got XM for the music; no b.s. talk or commercials...
Can't wait 'til the DirecTV sats go into orbit in April. MORE HD! 
Dave


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

"Don't know about now but back then all the BBC stations were commercial free."

Nope, but there's no commercials DURING the shows


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## kb7oeb (Jun 16, 2004)

You can be jailed and fined if you don't pay the tv tax. I think its BS.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

I find this rather amazing. XM has an approx. 30% price increase ($3) and no one complains about it. Dish has a $1 (5-6%) price increase and many people act like it is the end of the world. What's the deal with that?


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

This is actually great news in way. As Bob said now everyone will have access to O&A and I’ll have access to XMLM online for free. This isn’t a price increase for me, it’s a decrease. I’ll save a buck since I subscribe to High Voltage on both of my receivers.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

I wouldn't have squaked about the increase either, even though I would never listen to O&A or any like them and would use them on line, but I still find it interesting that no one is complaining. Do you think that this is because they feel that XM is a better value than E* or D* and was therefore underpriced?


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

Richard King said:


> I find this rather amazing. XM has an approx. 30% price increase ($3) and no one complains about it. Dish has a $1 (5-6%) price increase and many people act like it is the end of the world. What's the deal with that?


Simple. A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine do down.....

Yes they raised the price, but they GAVE you something new for your money.

If E* coupled a price increase with 5 new channels each year or some added feature there would be less complaints.

Also, they are merely bringing their prices up to match Sirius and then reduced the price of the online access so it isn't a bad deal IF you like O & A and want online access......

If you could care less about those two, you might be less happy, but they have added a LOT of content (MLB, College Sports, Traffic and Weather, etc.) since the original pricing was set up.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Maybe the satellite services should always wait to add channels until it's rate increase time so that the increase is easier to handle rather than adding them throughout the year.



> they have added a LOT of content (MLB, College Sports, Traffic and Weather, etc.) since the original pricing was set up.


Good point.


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## Bill lewis (Sep 25, 2003)

*


Richard King said:



I find this rather amazing. XM has an approx. 30% price increase ($3) and no one complains about it. QUOTE]

Click to expand...

*


Richard King said:


> Well they certainly are complaining at the XM radio forums I frequent.
> 
> This is just another blow to XM.
> 
> For me an XM subscriber the last year has been like a bad dream you can't wake up from......


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

Not too many people complaining because they're doing up $3 to match Sirius' price, have added 50 channels or so (depending on how you want to count them) since they started, decided to roll in XMRO and O&A to the package price AND gave you enough warning and let you lock in the old rate for up to 5 years.

Inflation is inevitable. Giving your customers a chance to lock in rates is good PR.


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## ocnier (May 8, 2003)

djlong said:


> Not too many people complaining because they're doing up $3 to match Sirius' price, have added 50 channels or so (depending on how you want to count them) since they started, decided to roll in XMRO and O&A to the package price AND gave you enough warning and let you lock in the old rate for up to 5 years.
> 
> Inflation is inevitable. Giving your customers a chance to lock in rates is good PR.


Right on djlong!


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## XM DUDE (Jul 9, 2004)

I don't gain anything from it as O&A suck and arn't funny and XM on line is a joke! :rant: :rant: :nono2:


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## reddice (Feb 18, 2003)

Yea 50 channels of metalic off the air "The special event for this channel has not...". Those are not real channels. They always remove any music channels to add something.


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

Yeah - and sometimes they remove music channels to add... MUSIC. (Like when Squizz was birthed by Boneyard - oh, wait, no music channel died for that one).

And 20 or so of those channels are traffic/weather - not special event.


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## Beardedbosn (Dec 9, 2002)

Well, I do not gain anything for the increase. It seems to me that XM got into a contract with O&A that is not being covered by the $1.99 so we are covering it. What happened, not enough fans?


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## jaschier (Mar 28, 2005)

I am new to the dbs forums, subscriber of dish network and considering purchasing xm to go satellite radio because i drive a good distance to work and college classes each day. does this price increase effect new customers if you subscribe before april? like if i bought the xm and signed up for a year or something like that would i get the 9.99 rate?


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

You'd have to sign up NOW and get a long term deal signed before April 2nd. That means paying in advance, not just committing to a long term agreement.


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