Anyone who is a Soccer/Football fan in this country will be able to get the game coverage after all. No doubt some of you will have likely heard that SiriusXM customers in the States had to subscribe to the best of XM in order to get the coverage. SiriusCanada subscribers are getting the games for free.

When you powered your received this past Friday, June 11, you should have received an immediate but short subscription update. This update opened up channels 213 and 214 for live World Cup coverage. Visit the SiriusCanada website for a complete schedule, as this is front and center news on the site.

This is of no use to me personally since I find Soccer/Football boring to watch. It was fun to play though back in the day.

I cannot help but think this is one way that SiriusCanada subscribers are getting a bit of a break since we were short changed a bit in the merger. It appears there is a big enough demand for the World Cup that SiriusCanada can manage to do this for subscribers. I guess that’s something.

Really wish I could get into it though….

With hockey season now at and end and Chicago thankfully hoisting the cup, our sports attentions must be focused elsewhere. Although like many hockey fans, and specifically Toronto Maple Leafs fans, we are awaiting for the free agent market to open up, wondering if we stand a chance at winning a few games next year.

To Soccer fans, enjoy the coverage. Im going to read a few books or something.

I have long thought that XM signing Oprah for as much money as they did at the time was an error in judgement given the financial position of the previous stand alone entity. XM subscriptions did not increase in the levels that were expected upon her signing. It is a fact when both companies merged, Sirius brought over the significantly larger customer base. 

I now see a golden opportunity for SiriusXM to have her remain on with her station in a new deal. If Sirius Canada subscribers are able to get her channel down the road, there will be an instant spike in subscription sales. Since Oprah’s channel only relaunched in March 2009 under the new name of Oprah Radio, I am led to believe she is intending to stay for the long run. 

When Oprah leaves television, SiriusXM as a company should continue to provide a great vehicle for her to remain connected with her loyal fan base. Those who are loyal to her but are not yet sattelite radio subscribers will want to keep that connection to her show. 

Sirius subscribers loyal to the Howard Stern Show know the power one individual can have in bringing aboard customers. Howard can successfully claim to having brought well over a million subscribers to SiriusXM in the United States alone.

When the company merger was completed and the best of packages were made available, there was a tremendous increase in revenue from both sets of customer bases with XM fans wanting Howard Stern, and the largely female base of Oprah Winfrey fans who subscribed to Sirius signing up for best of XM based on Oprah Radio alone. I also acknowledge that many male Sirius subscribers in the States bought the best of XM package solely for the increased sports coverage, and used Oprah Radio as a convincing deal breaker to their spouses in order to justify the addional expense. Well done guys!

Once Canadian subscribers are able to have that fair exchange of channels, additional package revenues should increase, and the overall subscription rate should increase even more. Love her or loathe her, Oprah Winfrey will play a tremendous role in increasing the audience of this great medium.

Golf fans are sure to have been pleased to see that Sirius XM Radio has committed itself to providing exceptional coverage of the 91st PGA Championship with the airing of final events from August 13th through until last Sunday, August 16th.

Hole-by-hole updates of the entire finale were hosted by analysts and commentators such as Bob Stevens, John Maginnes and Mark Carnevale, giving listeners a level of detail that left nothing of the games uncovered.

Sirius XM Radio broadcast live from the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota through Sirius channel 209 (with Best of XM) and XM channel 146).

[Via Orbitcast]

In another knock to Sirius’ ability to cover the world of sports properly only XM Radio will be able to broadcast events from the 2009 season of IndyCar racing.

The sport of IndyCar (formerly known as ChampCar) will be featured for XM listeners to tune into throughout the entire length of the season (including the popular Indy 500 event) while Sirius-only listeners will be left out of the fold.

Although Sirius subscribers can tune in to the events if they have access to the “Best of XM” package it’s still disheartening that these type of exclusives are still dividing fans of either company.

[Via Digital Home Forums]

Hockey fans with Sirius subscriptions will be pleased to see that the satellite radio giant has announced plans to cover the entire 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Each game will be broadcast by Sirius along with supplementary material such as daily news, play-by-play analysis and more. Every minute of the final rounds will be covered in intricate detail right until one team hoists the Cup and finishes the 2009 season.

Sirius’ Stanley Cup Playoff coverage began on Wednesday, April 15th and is scheduled to run until the conclusion sometime in June on Sirius channels 210-220 as part of the Best of XM package.

[Via Orbitcast]

Baseball fans are anxious to find out whether or not the MLB will find its way onto Sirius Radio after game programming was previously featured on the Best of XM package. Things don’t look hopeful however, as Sirius XM management has confirmed a lack of any planned MLB broadcasts for this year.

2009 Spring Training is getting many baseball fans excited for the upcoming season of the game but many are still wondering whether or not Sirius will pick up MLB as part of their broadcasting schedule.

Talks are still in the works for getting the MLB on board in the future but baseball enthusiasts shouldn’t hold their breath for Sirius broadcasts of this season.

[Via Orbitcast]

MLB Home Plate, a channel devoted to talk radio baseball coverage, has been added to the Best of XM line-up through Sirius Radio. The show was previously available as an XM Radio exclusive only but is now included for Sirius listeners to enjoy.

The move was carried out without any major announcement from Sirius and may serve as a sign of things to come regarding future baseball programming coming to the company’s broadcasts. MLB has been courted more directly by Sirius in recent months and the addition of this show may be a precursor for bigger changes in the future.

Listeners can now tune in to Sirius channel 210 to hear MLB Home Plate.

[Via Orbitcast]