• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, May 8, 2012

Baseball fans, rejoice: Sirius XM has launched 30 new channels dedicated to carrying the official play-by-play broadcasts of every Major League Baseball team on the satellite broadcaster’s Web platform, SiriusXM.com, as well as the Sirius XM Internet Radio App.

Under the terms of the multi-year deal between Sirius XM and MLB Advanced Media, fans with Sirius XM All-Access subscriptions can listen to both home and visiting team broadcasts for every MLB game, including commentary from each team’s dedicated, in-house radio announcers. Subscribers who download the Sirius XM Internet Radio App can listen to live streaming broadcasts on smartphones, iPads, and other mobile devices. Each channel is branded with the appropriate team logo in the screen interface.

Steve Cohen, SiriusXM’s senior vice-president for sports programming, explained: “Baseball fans have a special connection with their team’s radio voices. Whether it’s Yankees vs. Red Sox, Cardinals vs. Cubs, Giants vs. Dodgers, or any other game, fans want to hear their team’s radio call when they tune in. Our new channels on the SiriusXM App and online create an enhanced listening experience for our subscribers, giving them access to any MLB team’s radio broadcast, whether they are playing at home or on the road, on the same dedicated channel all season long.”

This is just the latest new sports content to be launched by Sirius XM on its Web platform. The Sirius XM Internet Radio App also offers official, live play-by-play broadcasts from sports leagues including the NFL, NHL, NBA, and NASCAR.

Last week Sirius XM revealed that it has recruited a record number of subscribers, growing 8.3% from 20.6 million in the first quarter of 2011 to 22.3 million for the first quarter of 2012. Total revenues jumped from $724 million to $805 million over the same time period, the company revealed in its first-quarter results.

Looking to the future, Sirius XM CEO Mel Karmazin said improving car sales will continue to drive growth for the satellite broadcaster in 2012, projecting total subscriber growth of 1.5 million by the end of the year -- revised upwards from the company’s earlier forecast of 1.3 million net additions.