For those of you with Sirius satellite radio

[hognelson]

I contacted the Athletic Dept. to see what their response was to Arkansas and Georgia being the only two teams in the SEC now not on Sirius and here is their email back:

"Thank you for your email concerning satellite radio.

At this time we have not entered into any agreements for satellite radio.  Actually, it will be ARSN that has our radio rights and would be the one to enter into any agreement. While we are very interested in doing so, what XM and Sirius are wanting in return for now is too extensive.  Some schools have mortgaged their soul for the next 5 years to get on satellite and then not knowing which service will be the leader in 3-5 years.  In addition, some schools deals do not provide that ALL their games will be aired. In fact, both services are only providing enough spots to air just the home team's broadcast of a given game in most cases.  We also have some local radio affiliates of ARSN in the state that have threatened to leave the network if ARSN was to cut a deal with a satellite provider.

At this time, satellite radio represents such a small demographic.  There are only 4 million subscribers nationwide for XM and less than 1.8 million for Sirius.  We want to make sure we get the best possible deal that provides the best for our fans with the best service.  It is our intent to move into this new technology, but right now we want to do what is best for the University and its fans and there are not any valid offers for the Razorback broadcasts.

Thank you for your email."

At least just about every other team will be on there!

[Brett Hitman Hog]

Luckily, I live where I can turn off the satellite radio and listen if there is no television.  But for the other fans outside of the airwaves it does seem like a problem.  I can see what the University is saying, however.  I have Sirius and am a huge fan of it, some prefer XM.  If the school picks one and is in a binding contract for several years, the other might blow up.  Sat. Radio is still in it's infancy so, the U of A, like many consumers are not willing to take a risk on the product at this time.  Who knows, they might look brilliant by holding out this year, then again, they might not.  At least for our hog brothers you can still listen on Yahoo! (I believe).  But just because other schools are doing it, I don't believe the U of A should as well. 

[hognelson]

Yeah, I live out of state and can pick up the feeds off of Yahoo.  I can now listen to the other SEC  teams announcers now that everyone is in the fold except for Georgia, so at least I will be able to pick up most of the games while not at a computer. 

[Biggus Piggus]

At this time, satellite radio represents such a small demographic. There are only 4 million subscribers nationwide for XM and less than 1.8 million for Sirius.

That was a well-reasoned response.  Some points:

XM expects to have 6 million subscribers by the end of the year, up from 3.2 million at 12/31/04.  Increase of at least 2.8 million in one year.  The increase was 1.8 million in 2004.  Net additions up at least 55%.

Sirius expects to have 3 million subscribers by year end, up from 1.1 million at the end of 2004.  Adding at least 1.9 million, compared with 0.9 million net additions in 2004.  Net adds up at least 110%.

By the end of 2006, I expect satellite radio to have at least 20 million subscribers.  Will that be big enough?

The attach rate of satellite radio to new vehicle sales is rapidly rising.  It has been 15-20%, probably goes to >50% within a couple of years.  And the home and portable markets are just getting off the ground.  Home and portable satellite radio will be a big deal this Christmas.

It is true that the satellite guys would like the U of A to sign up for a low-revenue, long-term contract before the subscriber base hits critical mass.  Those deals would allow them to milk lots of cheap content for several years.  But I would not worry about which service will be the leader.  They are required to merge technologies and become interoperable, so that consumers in the future won't have to change equipment to change services.

I can see the U of A's hesitation.  Sirius seems to be the choice of the SEC, and Sirius penetration in Arkansas is infinitesimal.  Nobody wants to go it alone on XM, I bet, though that's would I would do if it were my choice.

I'm guessing we will have to wait for more XM and Sirius satellites before they'll be able to support carrying a school's entire broadcast schedule.  Maybe 2007.

[hognelson]

yeah, I reckon you are right Biggus.

[Brett Hitman Hog]

With every emerging piece of technology some people choose to hop on board early, some to wait it out.  I can say that initially, I didn't want to have anything to do with the satellite radio craze.  But I gave in and wish I would have long before.  I guess that was what many experience with the on slaught of cable.  What me pay for that?  I get it for free!  Time will tell all if it can make enough money to last.

[hognelson]

Just frustrating, that's all.  Miss. St. and Ole Miss did two year contracts with options after that to go for more years. I could understand if Sirius or XM only insisted on 5 or more year contracts.
Just frustrating for an out of state fan.

here is the link for msu/ole miss if anyone wants to read it.

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050816/SPORTS/508160345/1025

[DevilHog]

Satellite radio is growing at an unbelievable rate. Biggus is right about the vehicle sales. United Auto Group (2nd biggest retailer of automobiles in the US, owns Landers in Ark) has an agreement with sirius to add their system to every compatible car they sell. 100% of them. System is free and free 9-month subscription. Others will hop on board too, it is about to explode. As for the Hogs not "mortgaging their souls" who know JFB is pretty smart on money matters.

[Extra Point]

Normally I would buy into that response.  However, look at the archaic nature of www.hogwired.com, the official website.  It is PATHETIC and does not even fully support all major browsers on the market today.  Face it, the marketing folks at the Broyles Center would not know thing one about technology if it came up and bit them on the azz.  I have heard a "makeover" of hogwired is forthcoming.  So, by my count, we should have satellite broadcasts (that new fangle teknollogie) by the year 2038.

Another thing...they basically say they don't want to get caught in a long-term contract.  Well then why did they sign their life away to ARSN and have no control over the broadcasts any longer?  And how about signing up to play FB games in rickety old stadium through 2015?  Again, I don't buy their bull.  "Not mortgaging their souls" to help out of state fans, yet pissing away nearly $2MM 2-3 times per year in LR.  RIIIIIIIIGHT.

We will end up signing with Sirius given they carry the majority of ALL sports.  The only thing XM has is MLB.

[hognelson]

Normally I would buy into that response. However, look at the archaic nature of www.hogwired.com, the official website. It is PATHETIC and does not even fully support all major browsers on the market today. Face it, the marketing folks at the Broyles Center would not know thing one about technology if it came up and bit them on the azz. I have heard a "makeover" of hogwired is forthcoming. So, by my count, we should have satellite broadcasts (that new fangle teknollogie) by the year 2038.

Another thing...they basically say they don't want to get caught in a long-term contract. Well then why did they sign their life away to ARSN and have no control over the broadcasts any longer? And how about signing up to play FB games in rickety old stadium through 2015? Again, I don't buy their bull. "Not mortgaging their souls" to help out of state fans, yet pissing away nearly $2MM 2-3 times per year in LR. RIIIIIIIIGHT.

We will end up signing with Sirius given they carry the majority of ALL sports. The only thing XM has is MLB.

WORD!!

[Cleve Dean]

We will end up signing with Sirius given they carry the majority of ALL sports. The only thing XM has is MLB.

Not that I have a preference for either... but XM has Pac-10, ACC, and Big 10 college football.

[SiriusHog™]

I am in sales and spend most of my day in my vehicle.. i have sirius radio and the NFL channel on there is great.. i listen to it almost all day, along with Raw Dog Comedy which is also great...

[junkyardhog]

We will end up signing with Sirius given they carry the majority of ALL sports. The only thing XM has is MLB.

Not that I have a preference for either... but XM has Pac-10, ACC, and Big 10 college football.

Ok, what's your point?

[Cleve Dean]

We will end up signing with Sirius given they carry the majority of ALL sports. The only thing XM has is MLB.

Not that I have a preference for either... but XM has Pac-10, ACC, and Big 10 college football.

Ok, what's your point?

The only thing XM has is MLB.

XM has Pac-10, ACC, and Big 10 college football.


If you can't comprehend the simplicity of the exchange above, I suggest you ask a pre-schooler to explain it to you.

[junkyardhog]

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[MarieHogFan]

Up until just recently the UA athletic dept. still seemed to think that the internet was just a passing fad.  So it won't surprise me at all that they'll be the very last school in the SEC, and one of the last in the country, to sign up.

[Biggus Piggus]

XM has 2x the subs of Sirius, better OEM relationships and a better retail strategy.  Sirius has content that appeals to certain affinity groups, while XM angles for mass market.  To me, it doesn't make any sense at all for Arkansas...

...state with no NFL team
...small population, few early adopters

to go with the service with half the subscriber count of its rival.  Other SEC schools went with Sirius because Sirius was more aggressive at dealmaking, not because it made business sense.  If Arkansas were the only SEC school on XM, imagine how many SEC-region XM listeners its broadcasts would draw.  Rarity = valuable.