Peter Wilson
Sun
XM Canada began its 80-channel satellite radio service Tuesday, beating rival Sirius Canada to the digital punch.
All eight Canadian channels — four English, four French — are beaming across North America.
Whether anyone was listening, other than than some of estimated 100,000 Canadians who have grey market satellite radios, is another matter, because legal satellite radios haven’t yet been sold in this country.
“We’re taking our first subscribers today,” said XM Canada CEO Stephen Tapp in an interview. “Which means that all of our Canadian as well as the full grid of channels are available.
“Our commitment was to be first and XM is the first satellite radio service to launch in Canada. And that’s a great feeling because we know that Canadian consumers have been looking forward to this for a long time.”
Sirius Canada — six of whose 10 Canadian channels out of 100 are from the CBC and Radio-Canada — did not comment on the XM announcement. It has not announced the date for the launch, except to say it will be in time for the holiday season.
The first XM Canada radios, said Tapp, would be going to the 4,500 people who registered online with XM’s Founders Club during the past month.
They will be paying $79.99 for the $99.99 Delphi Roady XT, XM Canada’s lowest price radio.
“I’m not comparing it to the Xbox, but it’s our own Xbox,” said Tapp, of the offer.
XM Canada said radios would be available next week at prices ranging from $99.99 to $399.99 at such stores as A&B Sound, Best Buy, Canadian Tire, Dumoulin-Audiotronic, Future Shop, London Drugs, Sears Canada, The Source by Circuit City and Visions Electronics.
XM hopes 1,000 NHL games per season will be a big attraction.
© The Vancouver Sun 2005
