Home » XM vs. Sirius: What's the difference?

Unlike cable and satellite TV where channels are similar from one service to another, most of the channels on Sirius and XM are different (only 10% of each lineup is available on both services). While they each program their services differently, many stations offer the same genre. For example, Sirius offers 60's Vibrations, while XM has The 60's on 6. The following chart breaks down the differences, making it easy to compare and contrast each service:

Updated: October, 2005

Features SIRIUS XM Both
Music 67 Different music channels. Tends to be more hits based but not anywhere near FM. Genres unique to Sirius include:
  • Jam Band Station
  • Classic Rock split into pre-1975, 1975-1995, and classic hard rock
  • 24/7 Elvis Station
  • College/Indie Rock
  • Soft Rock
  • Swing
  • 24/7 Rave station
  • 80's Hair Bands
  • Freestyle Rap
  • Tropical
  • Only commercial-free kids music station
67 different music channels. Tends to be more obscure. Unique genres include:
  • 40's and 50's channels
  • European Pop music
  • Movie soundtrack station
  • Christian Rock
  • Progressive Rock
  • Unsigned
  • African Music
  • Punk
Almost every other genre of music is covered on both Sirius and XM. Here are just some of the many genres they offer:
  • 3 Classical stations
  • Christian Pop and Gospel
  • Reggae
  • Blues
  • Jazz
  • Standards
  • Classic Soul
  • Heavy Metal
  • Freeform/eclectic rock
  • Dance
  • Top 40
  • Underground
  • Disco
  • Stations for each decade 50's-90's
  • Deeper classic rock
Features SIRIUS XM Both
Live Sports
  • NBA (almost every game)
  • NHL (almost every game)
  • NFL (every game, every week, with broadcasts of both team's announcers)
  • NASCAR races
  • MLB
  • ESPN Radio
News
  • NPR
  • PRI
  • BBC World Service News
  • WRN, the World Radio Network, offering many unique perspectives with news broadcasts from different countries.
  • BBC World Service (includes entertainment programs, not just news)
  • CNN
  • MSNBC
  • ABC News and Talk
  • CNN HeadlineNews
  • FOX News
  • C-SPAN
  • Bloomberg
  • CNBC
Talk
  • Sirius Left
  • Sirius Right
  • Sirius Talk Central
  • EWTN Catholic Radio
  • The Word Network
  • OutQ (GLBT)
  • Family Talk (religious)
  • ASK
  • America Right
  • The Power (African-American)
  • Trucking Channel
  • Air America
Features SIRIUS XM Both
Talk Personalities Look for:
  • Howard Stern (Jan. '06)
  • Lynn Samuels
  • Thom Hartmann
  • Mike Church
  • Roger Fredinburg
  • The Young Turks
  • WorldNetDaily
  • Doug Stephan
  • Hilly Rose
  • Steve and DC
  • David Bach
  • Car Talk
  • Fresh Air
  • World Cafe
Look for:
  • Art Bell
  • Dennis Prager
  • Glenn Beck
  • Rollye James
  • Rusty Humphries
  • Matt Drudge
  • Glenn Haege
  • Monsters of the Midday
  • The Phillips Phile
  • Phil Hendrie
  • John & Jeff
  • Wolf Blitzer
  • Coast to Coast AM
  • Bill Bennett
  • Michael Medved
  • Opie & Anthony
    (add'l fee)
Look for:
  • Ed Schultz
  • Al Franken
  • Randi Rhodes
  • Laura Ingraham
  • Michael Reagan
  • Michael Savage
  • Dave Graveline
  • Bill O'Reilly
  • Geraldo Rivera
  • Sam Donaldson
  • Sean Hannity
Entertainment
  • Kid's Corner with Kathy O'Connell
  • World Cafe with David Dye
  • CourtTV Plus
  • WSM, home of the Grand Ole Opry
  • Wisdom Radio, dedicated to life improvement
  • MTV
  • VH1
  • Sonic Theater (books on tape)
  • Playboy Radio
    (add'l fee)
  • E! Entertainment
  • Discovery Channel Radio
  • Radio Classics
  • Family Comedy Channel
  • Uncensored Comedy Channel


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