• May 3, 2006

Sirius Satellite strengthened its position versus rival XM in the first quarter, ending in March with 4,077,747 subscribers--an addition of 761,187 in three months. This gain was a 149 percent increase over the number of new subscriptions during the first quarter of 2005. Sirius' first-quarter revenue grew 193 percent from the same time in 2005 to $126.7 million. However, Sirius also posted a net loss of $458.5 million during the first quarter, and the average cost of acquiring a new subscriber remains high at $113. Still, Sirius' growth compares favorably with terrestrial radio, which posted another flat month in March, and Sirius' rival XM, which is currently being investigated by the FTC on suspicion of marketing fraud.

--Erik Sass