Sirius will be providing programming for Sprint phones – and the cost will be wrapped up in a Sprint package, thus there will be no need to “subscribe to Satellite Radio” per se.
This kind of deal reduces two big speed bumps in the adoption of Satellite: First, it removes the “cost of subscription” since that cost is hidden. Second, it removes the hassle of new equipment specialized for Satellite Radio. It’s a no-brainer and will be a huge boon for Satellite.
One of the advantages of a national level origin point for something as commoditized as the delivery of music is that deals of this sort can be made. In your market your local station or cluster could never pull off such a deal.
Ironically, the more music-centric your station is the less you will have a competitive advantage over radio alternatives, like the music playing effortlessly over a cell phone.
So is this “Sat-casting” by phone? When it comes right down to it, what is the difference between over-the-air radio and the music playing on a cell phone, especially if the cost of that cell phone service is obscured behind other Sprint charges?
The answer: nothing.
Call this “Satellite” if you want, but it’s radio, plain and simple. And it competes directly with you.
