Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio announced on Tuesday that they closed their long-awaited merger, ending a 17-month saga since the deal was first announced to bring the nation's only two satellite radio companies together.
The combined company, with more than 18.5 million subscribers, is now called Sirius XM Radio. It is set to rank as the second-largest U.S. radio company, based on annual revenues.
Sirius XM Radio will offer more than 300 programming channels spanning exclusive shows, such as those of Howard Stern and Oprah Winfrey, and a la carte programming. Subscribers will be able to select certain programs from each of the two former companies under one package.
