Sirius Satellite radio Announced today that they finished the year with a total of 8,321,785 subscribers. This represents a fourth quarter addition of 654,309 subscribers, almost a 28% drop from the over 900,000 reported in Q4 of 2006. The company stated that the fully loaded churn came in at the 2.2% which was the low end of guidance, and that self paying churn remains a consistent 1.6%.

On cash flow Sirius indicated that they expect to report significantly greater positive free cash flow in 2007 than was reported in 2006. Thus, while subs offer a disappointing comparison, cash flow is trending better.

“SIRIUS’ subscriber base increased 38% in 2007, and our gross subscriber additions in 2007 were the highest in the history of satellite radio,” said Mel Karmazin, CEO for SIRIUS. “Our full year monthly subscriber self-pay churn rate was 1.6% and all-in churn was 2.2%, consistent with the low end of our guidance. Based upon preliminary financial data, we expect to report significantly greater positive free cash flow in the fourth quarter of 2007 than the company reported in the fourth quarter of 2006.”

Position - Long Sirius

Sports talk show host Dan Patrick will be joining the XM satellite Radio line up according to a press release issued today. The Dan atrick show began syndication in October and is widely known for his work at ESPN.

Fans across the country can hear Patrick’s renowned insight and humor on “The Dan Patrick Show” on XM Sports Nation (XM channel 144) every weekday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon ET/7 a.m. to 9 a.m. PT.

“We are excited about being part of XM Satellite’s powerful programming line-up,” said Dan Patrick. “The Dan Patrick show has quickly developed a strong terrestrial radio affiliate network and we look forward to expanding our reach to XM’s millions of subscribers from coast to coast. When we launched the show, it was our goal to provide an unparalleled listener experience and we are thrilled to bring our program to America’s number one satellite radio company.”

“People who love sports love to listen to Dan Patrick on the radio, and now you can hear Dan on XM wherever you are, from coast to coast,” said Kevin Straley, XM senior vice president of news, sports, and talk programming. “Dan Patrick is one of the biggest names in sports broadcasting, and his show is a fantastic addition to XM Sports Nation on channel 144.”

Patrick continues to make national news by interviewing some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment. Senator John McCain, U.S. Rep. Tom Davis and former Oakland A’s slugger Jose Canseco all made headlines on “The Dan Patrick Show” with strong comments about baseball’s steroid scandal. Other notable guests include David Beckham, Wayne Gretzky, NASCAR’s Tony Stewart, Mavs’ owner Mark Cuban, Artie Lange of the Howard Stern Show, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson, skateboarder Tony Hawk, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling and comedian Dennis Miller. The show is distributed by The Content Factory on a variety of media platforms, and can now be heard on more than 80 terrestrial radio stations and in eight of the top ten markets in the U.S.

[Via Yahoo Biz]

Position - Long XM

Thanks to XM Satellite Radio’s POTUS ‘08 channel 130, subscribers throughout the nation can get up to the minute details regarding the Iowa Caucuses. While the candidates have been campaigning for quite some time now, it is typically the Caucuses in Iowa that launch the Presidential races.

With POTUS 08, subscribers can catch commentary and political news as it happens from on air commentators such as Scott Waterman, Rebecca Roberts, Joe Mathieu, and Tim Farley. XM Potus ‘08 is sure to be the answer for your political fix.

Tune in to XM 130 for details.

Position - Long XM

While there has been no official announcement from Sirius Satellite Radio regarding subscribers, one of the on air talents has revealed twice this afternoon that Sirius has indeed passed the 8,000,000 subscriber milestone. Jay Thomas on Sirius Stars (channel 102)stated twice in the three o’clock hour that Sirius satellite Radio has indeed passed the 8,000,000 subscriber mark.

Sirius, has guided that they will finish the year with over 8,000,000 subscribers, and most analysts expect that they will reach the mark. According to Jay Thomas, they did just that. Again, the words of Jay Thomas are not official, but it would appear that the word around Sirius is that the goal was reached. Official word on subscribers has typically been announced during the CES show in Las Vegas. Charts Through Q3 After The Jump

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XM Satellite Radio now carries the most Spanish language content on satellite radio thanks to the addition of a new channel called Caricia (Channel 93). Caricia will focus on Spanish content from the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s and will feature timeless music from popular Artists Julio Iglesias, Jose Feliciano, Jose Jose, Leonardo Favio.

“We’re pleased to bring XM listeners the Caricia channel, where they will hear legendary artists from all over Latin America,” said Jesus Salas, senior programming director, XM Satellite Radio. “The Caricia channel will deliver “musica del recuerdo” or timeless music that is certain to bring listeners back to the 60s, 70s and 80s.”

The addition of programming such as this outlines first hand of the ability of satellite radio to deliver diverse content to subscribers.

[via Yahoo Biz]

Position - Long XM

XM satellite Radio announced today that they have settled with one of the recording labels on their lawsuit surrounding XM’s portable Inno device. The suit, which came as a result of some recording features on the Inno has been ongoing for quite some time. While the news of a settlement with UMG is positive, there are still other recording industry parties that have not yet reached an agreement with XM.

Universal Chairman and CEO Doug Morris stated, “We are pleased to have resolved this situation in an amicable manner” adding, “We pride ourselves on empowering new technology and expanding consumer choice. And XM is providing a new and exciting opportunity for music lovers around the world to discover and enjoy our content, while at the same time recognizing the intrinsic value of music to their business and the need to respect the rights of content owners.”

Nate Davis, XM’s President and CEO applauded the settlement saying, “Our agreement is a win for everyone involved, especially for consumers”, and “Today’s announcement underscores the fact that XM competes in an audio entertainment market in which consumers have more options than ever. We commend UMG for being the first music company to take this step forward with us and look forward to continuing our discussions with our other partners in the music industry.”

The lawsuit over the Inno has been a damper on XM’s stock for quite some time, and even hampered XM’s ability to launch newer recordable devices as capable as the Inno. Terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, so it is unclear whether the Inno device will still be capable of doing all of the features that brought the suit.

Likely, with Universal stepping up to the plate, other record labels will follow suit. Sirius, for their part, has agreements with the record labels.

Position - Long Sirius, XM

If there is a bowl game being played, XM Satellite radio has it. This year XM satellite Radio will be broadcasting an unprecedented 30 college bowl games. XM has everything from the Allstate Sugar Bowl to the Valero Alamo Bowl and everything in between. This year, XM is the bowl game king.

College bowl games have been a television staple for years, but now, thanks to satellite radio, fans can keep pace with the action like never before. XM’s college bowl offering overflows this year, and XM subscribers benefit like never before. For Sirius’ Part, listeners can tune into four bowl games.

The action kicks off December 20th with the Poinsettia Bowl pitting Navy against Utah and culminates with the Championship game on January 7th with LSU taking on Ohio State.

Readers can get exact times and schedules from XM satellite radio, or from reading the Press Release issued today.

Position - Long Sirius, XM

According to a press release from XM Satellite radio, the royalty rates for SDARS services have been determined.

The rates came in better than many were anticipating with performance license rates of 6.0% of those gross revenues subject to the fees for 2007 and 2008 to increase by .5% over the next 4 years, with certain revenues that are exempt from royalty payments.

Although this issue has been perceived as a “back-burner” issue by many, it carries great importance for the business model of satellite radio. Check out the full press release after the jump.

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Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Sirius, David Frear, is slated to present at the 35th Annual UBS Global Media & Communications Conference in New York, NY on Tuesday, December 4, 2007 at approximately 2:30 PM ET.

Could this presentation hold the much anticipated information we have all been waiting for? Who knows, but it sure does come at an awfully convenient time.

A live audio webcast of the keynote discussion will be available via the Investor Relations section.

Hanukkah soon approaches and millions of Jewish people will celebrate the festival of lights. They celebrate the miracle of the Maccabees defeating the Greeks, with the help of their leader Judah. After three long years of war, the Maccabees defeated the huge Greek army to come home to a Temple in ruins. As the Maccabees needed oil to light their beloved Menorah, they only had enough oil for one night. But miraculously, the Menorah stayed lit for eight straight nights. The Jewish people remember Judah Maccabee, his brave men and women, and the little jar of oil that lasted eight long nights. This is my Hanukkah miracle….

The merger of XM and Sirius approaches and sixteen million listeners will celebrate the beginning of a new media revolution. They celebrate the defeat of the National Association of Broadcasters, with the help from their leader Mel Karmazan and the many shareholders and listeners who will fight for justice. After many months of filing paperwork, fighting the many powers of terrestrial radio, the pro mergers defeated the NAB and the Jacobians. They came home to radio with choice, radio free of commercials, radio free of government intervention. They came home to a la carte pricing and NFL and Major League Baseball under one platform. As the NAB and the Jacobians cried about losing millions of costomers, the XM/Sirius merger along with the brave believers lasted much more then eight crazy Sirius nights.

Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to all.