History of SiriusXM in Timeline
SiriusXM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation providing satellite and online radio services in the United States and Canada (through Sirius XM Canada). It was formed in 2008 through the merger of Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio, creating SiriusXM Radio. In 2013, SiriusXM Holdings, Inc. was incorporated. In 2020, SiriusXM reorganized, making Sirius XM Radio Inc. a wholly-owned subsidiary of SiriusXM Holdings, Inc.
December 15, 1992: FCC Cut-off Date for Satellite DARS Applications
On December 15, 1992, the FCC established a cut-off date for applications proposing satellite DARS.
1997: FCC Awards License to XM Satellite Radio
1998: Panero Served as XM's CEO
Hugh Panero served as XM's CEO from 1998.
July 2000: Satellite Launch
In July 2000, Sirius launched three satellites into elliptical orbit from Kazakhstan.
July 2000: Financing Complete
In July 2000, XM's planned financing was complete, having raised US$1.26 billion.
February 14, 2002: Sirius Launches Service in Four Cities
On February 14, 2002, Sirius launched the initial phase of its service in four cities.
July 1, 2002: Sirius Expands Service Nationwide
On July 1, 2002, Sirius expanded its service to the rest of the contiguous United States.
February 19, 2007: Merger Between Sirius and XM Announced
On February 19, 2007, the US$13 billion merger between Sirius and XM was officially announced.
August 2007: Hugh Panero Steps Down as XM CEO
In August 2007, shortly after the merger announcement, XM CEO and co-founder Hugh Panero stepped down from his role.
2007: XM Executives Receive Severance Packages
In 2007, XM Satellite Radio executives not offered jobs in the combined company received golden parachute severance packages. Former CEO Nate Davis received US$10 million, Erik Toppenberg received US$5.34 million, CFO Joseph Euteneuer received US$4.9 million, and Vernon Irvin received US$4.5 million.
March 24, 2008: Justice Department Approved Merger
On March 24, 2008, the U.S. Justice Department approved the Sirius and XM merger.
July 25, 2008: FCC Approved Merger
On July 25, 2008, the FCC approved the merger of Sirius and XM.
November 12, 2008: Sirius and XM Began Merging Channels
Sirius and XM began merging their channels on November 12, 2008.
February 2009: Liberty Media Loan
In February 2009, SiriusXM avoided bankruptcy with a US$530 million loan from Liberty Media.
March 2009: MiRGE Interoperable Radio Available
In March 2009, the interoperable radio, called MiRGE, was available which could receive both XM and Sirius signals within one radio.
June 17, 2009: Sirius XM App Released for iPhone and iPod Touch
On June 17, 2009, Sirius XM released an application for use on Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch, allowing subscribers to listen to its programming on those devices, although it did not feature all of the programming available to satellite listeners.
2009: SiriusXM Posts First Profit
In 2009, SiriusXM posted a profit for the first time, with a net income of US$14.2 million.
February 4, 2010: Sirius XM BlackBerry Application Announced
On February 4, 2010, the Sirius XM BlackBerry application was announced, for use on BlackBerry smartphones (the Bold, Curve, Storm, and Tour).
May 28, 2010: Sirius XM Application for Android Announced
On May 28, 2010, the Sirius XM application for Android smartphones was announced.
October 14, 2010: XM-5 Sent Into Orbit
On October 14, 2010, XM-5 was sent into orbit by Proton from Kazakhstan. It is capable of broadcasting to either service.
December 9, 2010: Howard Stern's Show Available on Mobile App
On December 9, 2010, as part of Howard Stern's new five-year contract with SiriusXM, The Howard Stern Show, which had not previously been available on mobile devices, would now be a part of Sirius XM's mobile app package.
March 17, 2011: Sirius XM App Released for iPad
On March 17, 2011, the Sirius XM application was also made available for the iPad.
August 2011: SiriusXM Announces Personalized Online Radio
In August 2011, SiriusXM announced that the company would start offering a personalized interactive online radio experience.
April 2012: Trial Court Ruled Against Howard Stern
In April 2012, a New York judge ruled that Howard Stern was not entitled to stock bonuses, a decision upheld by an appeals court in April 2013.
December 2012: Mel Karmazin Steps Down as CEO
In December 2012, Mel Karmazin stepped down as Sirius XM CEO after Liberty Media gained control of 49.5% of the company. James E. Meyer was named interim CEO.
2012: SiriusXM Subscriber Base Grows
By the end of 2012, SiriusXM's subscriber base had grown to 23.9 million.
2012: Sirius XM App Updated for iOS and Android
In 2012, the Sirius XM application was updated for iOS and Android, featuring additional content, and the ability to pause, rewind, and fast-forward through audio streams.
April 11, 2013: Appeals Court Upheld Ruling Against Howard Stern
On April 11, 2013, a New York appeals court upheld the ruling that Howard Stern was not entitled to stock bonuses.
April 15, 2013: MySXM Debuts
MySXM debuted on April 15, 2013, allowing users to fine-tune over 50 existing Sirius XM channels. MySXM is available to all Sirius XM subscribers.
April 2013: Greg Maffei Named Chairman
Also in April 2013, Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei was named Sirius XM's chairman, succeeding Eddy Hartenstein.
April 2013: Sirius XM Android App Features Over 130 Channels
As of April 2013, the Sirius XM app for Android features over 130 channels.
April 30, 2013: James E. Meyer Named Permanent CEO
On April 30, 2013, James E. Meyer was named permanent CEO of Sirius XM.
May 21, 2013: SiriusXM Holdings, Inc. Incorporated
On May 21, 2013, SiriusXM Holdings, Inc. was officially incorporated.
October 25, 2013: FM-6 Launched
FM-6 was launched on October 25, 2013, and was declared ready for service on December 2, 2013. The satellite initially served as an in-orbit spare while the company worked to deploy repeaters for the Sirius side.
December 2, 2013: FM-6 Declared Ready for Service
FM-6 was launched on October 25, 2013, and was declared ready for service on December 2, 2013. The satellite initially served as an in-orbit spare while the company worked to deploy repeaters for the Sirius side.
December 4, 2014: Sirius XM Settles with States Over Billing Practices
On December 4, 2014, Sirius XM Holdings agreed to a US$3.8 million settlement with 45 states and the District of Columbia, over a suit initiated by then-Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, stemming from the company's billing and service renewal practices.
March 18, 2015: SiriusXM App Refreshed
On March 18, 2015, SiriusXM released a refreshed user interface of the application on Android and iOS.
2015: Howard Stern's Contract Renewal
In 2015, Howard Stern's contract was renewed for five years (US$400 million).
February 2016: SiriusXM Offers Radios for Different Environments
As of February 2016, SiriusXM offers radios for use in different environments, including for home, office, automotive, marine and aviation use.
2016: FM-6 Put Into Active Service
In 2016, FM-6 was put into active service and officially replaced Sirius originals FM-1 through FM-3 which operated in elliptical orbit. FM-1 through FM-3 were later placed into disposal orbits. With this change, FM-5 and FM-6 exclusively serve the Sirius service.
October 2017: SiriusXM Streaming Available on Connected Devices
As of October 2017, SiriusXM is available for streaming via custom apps on a variety of connected devices including Amazon Alexa and Fire TV, Sonos, PlayStation, Roku, and smart TVs.
2017: Penetration in New Car Market
By 2017, SiriusXM had penetrated approximately 75% of the new car market, with about 40% of owners becoming subscribers.
May 2018: SiriusXM Unveils New Look and Removes MySXM
In May 2018, SiriusXM unveiled a new look for both the desktop web player and the mobile apps. The MySXM feature, including all the custom mixes that listeners saved over time, was removed.
September 2018: Agreement to Purchase Pandora
In September 2018, the company agreed to purchase the streaming music service Pandora.
September 24, 2018: Intent to Acquire Pandora Announced
On September 24, 2018, SiriusXM announced its intent to acquire Pandora for US$3.5 billion.
February 1, 2019: Completion of Pandora Acquisition
On February 1, 2019, the transaction to purchase Pandora was completed.
February 2019: SiriusXM Acquires Pandora
SiriusXM later expanded their internet and mobile platforms by acquiring Pandora in February 2019.
October 2019: Denise Karkos Named CMO
In October 2019, Denise Karkos was named Chief Marketing Officer of SiriusXM.
November 2019: Alex Luke Named Senior VP of Digital Content
In November 2019, Alex Luke was named Senior VP of Digital Content for SiriusXM and Pandora.
November 2019: SiriusXM Available on Google Assistant
In early November 2019, SiriusXM became available to stream on all devices that use Google Assistant.
2019: SiriusXM 360L Platform Rolled Out
Beginning with Stellantis' 2019 Ram 1500, SiriusXM rolled out its 360L platform in 2019, which allows receivers to use both satellite signals and streaming content delivered via the vehicle's on-board cellular data modem.
January 2020: SiriusXM Corporate Structure Reorganization
In January 2020, SiriusXM reorganized its corporate structure, making Sirius XM Radio Inc. a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of SiriusXM Holdings, Inc.
September 2020: Jennifer Witz to Succeed James Meyer as CEO
In September 2020, SiriusXM announced that Jennifer Witz would succeed James Meyer as the company's CEO once he retires by December 31, 2020. The company also hired Sean Sullivan as Chief Financial Officer.
October 19, 2020: Acquisition of Stitcher Completed
On October 19, 2020, SiriusXM announced the completion of the acquisition of Stitcher.
2020: Sirius XM Holdings Owns 70% Equity Interest in Sirius XM Canada
As of 2020, Sirius XM Holdings owns a 70% equity interest and a 33% voting interest in Sirius XM Canada.
2020: FAA Mandate and SiriusXM Aviation
In 2020, SiriusXM Aviation provides satellite-based graphic weather information for pilots, which provides better signal coverage and faster data refresh rate than land-based ADS-B service. The 2020 FAA Mandate does not require pilots to equip with ADS‑B/FIS‑B weather.
December 31, 2020: James Meyer Retires and Jennifer Witz Becomes CEO
By December 31, 2020, Jennifer Witz would succeed James Meyer as the company's CEO.
April 2021: Acquisition of 99% Invisible Inc.
In April 2021, SiriusXM acquired 99% Invisible Inc., the company that produces the 99% Invisible radio show and podcast.
June 6, 2021: SXM-8 Launched
SXM-8 was launched on June 6, 2021, delayed due to failure of SXM-7.
December 2021: Joe Inzerillo Named CTO
In December 2021, Joe Inzerillo, former Chief Technology Officer of Disney Streaming Services, was named the CTO of SiriusXM.
2021: Settlement Reached in Alvarez v. Sirius XM Radio Inc.
In 2021, a settlement was reached in Alvarez v. Sirius XM Radio Inc. regarding customers with Sirius lifetime subscriptions. All lifetime subscriptions are now for the lifetime of the owner, not the radio unit. Subscriptions can be transferred for $35, and inactive subscriptions can be cancelled for $100.
June 2022: SiriusXM Streaming Added to Xfinity Platforms
In June 2022, SiriusXM streaming was added to Xfinity customers using the cable provider's X1, Xfinity Flex, and XClass TV platforms.
July 12, 2022: SiriusXM Subscriber Count
As of July 12, 2022, SiriusXM had approximately 34 million subscribers.
2022: Purchase of Conan O'Brien's Digital Media Assets
In 2022, SiriusXM purchased Conan O'Brien's digital media assets, including his podcast Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, for $150 million.
March 2023: SiriusXM Announces Layoffs
In March 2023, SiriusXM announced it would cut 475 employees, which amounted to 8% of its workforce, citing economic uncertainty.
September 2023: Liberty Media Proposes SiriusXM Spin-Off
In September 2023, Liberty Media proposed to spin off the Liberty SiriusXM Group (LSXM) and combine it with SiriusXM. Existing LSXM stockholders, like John Malone, would initially hold approximately 84% interest in the restructured company. The proposal is subject to review.
January 2025: Six Functional Satellites in Orbit
As of January 2025, there are six functional satellites in orbit: two XM (one being a spare), two Sirius, and two SXM.
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