Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc. (commonly referred to as Sirius XM Canada) is a Canadian radio broadcasting company, which operates as a Canadian affiliate of Sirius XM Radio. The company received approval from the

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; french: Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes, links=) is a public organization in Canada with mandate as a regulatory agency for broadcasti ...

on April 11, 2011 to merge the formerly distinct XM Radio Canada and

Sirius Canada Sirius Canada was a Canadian company, a partnership between Slaight Communications, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Sirius Satellite Radio, which was one of three services licensed by the CRTC on June 16, 2005 to introduce satellite ...

services,CRTC Decision 2011-240
following the merger of XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio in the United States. The merger was subsequently completed as of June 21, 2011."Sirius Canada and XM Canada Complete Merger"
''Broadcaster'', June 21, 2011.

Background and history

In their application to the CRTC, XM Canada and Sirius Canada noted that following the merger of Sirius and XM in the United States, they found it increasingly difficult to remain in operation as distinct, competing services in Canada even as the parent services increasingly integrated and amalgamated their programming. In an interview with ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' before the merger was approved, Bitove also noted the difficulties that arose from the merged American service becoming a minority shareholder in both of the Canadian companies simultaneously, such as conflicts of interest that forced the American company to leave its Canadian partners out of strategic planning discussions which would have given each company power over decisions affecting the other. Further complicating matters was that Sirius Canada had far more than half of the total satellite radio subscriber base in Canada, and felt they deserved greater than a 50/50 split of the new company, whereas XM Canada felt that their deal with the National Hockey League — a particularly lucrative prize in Canadian sports broadcasting — warranted a larger share of value in the new company than its subscriber base would suggest.Etan Vlessing, "XM-Sirius merger not replicated in Canada". ''Hollywood Reporter'', July 29, 2008. On November 24, 2010, XM Radio Canada and Sirius Canada announced that they had reached a deal to merge their services. John Bitove's Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., the licensee of the former XM Radio Canada, held 30.4% and effective control of the new company. Slaight Communications and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the primary shareholders in the former Sirius, each held 20.4%, and the American parent Sirius XM held 25%. Both Bitove and Mark Redmond, the former president and CEO of Sirius Canada, hold executive roles with the new company. As of 2011, Sirius and XM in the United States offered nearly identical programming lineups, with the Canadian-produced channels being among the few remaining distinctions between the two services. On October 1, 2012, Premier packages became available in Canada. The CBC exited an ownership position in the company in 2017, though CBC channels continue to be broadcast on the SiriusXM platform.

Pre-merger

Early Days of Sirius Canada

Sirius Canada was a Canadian company, a partnership between Slaight Communications, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Sirius Satellite Radio, which was one of three services licensed by the CRTC on June 16, 2005 to introduce satellite radio service to Canada. In June 2005, the CRTC awarded the company a six-year licence to commence broadcasting in Canada.

Early Days of XM Canada

XM Radio Canada was the operating name of Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. (or "CSR"), a Canadian communications and media company, which was incorporated in 2002 to broadcast satellite radio in Canada. On August 19, 2003, Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., the parent company of CSR, filed its initial application to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for a broadcast licence to provide subscription based digital radio service in Canada. In June 2005, the CRTC awarded the company a six-year licence to commence broadcasting in Canada. XM Radio Canada started transmissions across Canada on November 22, 2005, and launched officially on December 1, 2005.

References

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