# CES: Sat Radio Numbers, XM Takes to the Skies



## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

The start of CES in Las Vegas had the nation's two satellite radio services releasing year-end 2003 subscriber numbers and the latest products and services.

Sirius said it ended 2003 with 261,061 subscribers, up from about 30,000 subscribers at the end of 2002. The company said it added more than 100,000 subscribers in the fourth quarter thanks to increased sales at retail during the holiday season.

XM said it ended 2003 with 1.36 million subscribers, representing about 1 million net additional subscribers for the year.

The company also announced deals with two airlines.

AirTran Airways' said its fleet of Boeing 717 and 737 aircraft will be equipped with XM service at every seat. The airline will begin installation of the service this summer with all aircraft installs completed by the end of 2004.

And JetBlue said it will deliver up to 100 channels of digital satellite radio service to its customers. XM could be introduced fleet-wide on JetBlue's Airbus A320 aircraft this year and on the airline's new fleet of EMBRAER 190 aircraft as they are introduced into service in 2005. JetBlue also announced it will deliver movie channels featuring 20th Century Fox flicks and episodes of Fox's TV series "The Simpsons" to fliers.

There was a lot more news coming from XM and Sirius (including big product announcements) and other companies at CES, and SkyRETAILER has the details: http://www.skyretailer.com. Also, check out CES coverage from Cable Retailer, (http://www.cableretailer.com), the new web site devoted to cable at retail from Media Business Corp.

http://www.skyreport.com (Used with permission)


----------

