XM announces “XM Canada,” Canadian broadcasters mull regulations
XM radio made an announcement yesterday regarding its Canadian branch: the unwieldy “Canadain Satellite Radio” has been re-branded to the more elegant “XM Canada.” However, even with the change in brand identity and the promise of NHL Hockey, some radio fans still think XM will have trouble signing up Canadians to their services.
You know me, I never make a prediction, I’m more of a wait-and-see kind of guy, so I won’t go out on a limb re: Canadian sat radio just yet, but, on the other hand, Canadian radio broadcasters seem none too pleased.
First they tried to blockade the American companies, claiming they did not meet French-language and Canadian national broadcasting quotas. Now they’re trying to get those same quotas relaxed when applied to them? Well, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em I guess. Maybe Canadian broadcasters should try to get parliament to force XM and Sirius to include commercial interruptions in their music. That might level the playing field a bit more.
