XM Radio, Google make ad deal
updated 02:20 pm EDT, Wed August 2, 2006
XM Google Ad Deal
XM radio might be popular, but there's no question that the company needs more revenue to stay competitive. The satellite radio company has been bleeding money ever since its inception, and few media outlets enjoy surviving solely on the peaks and valleys of a subscriber base. This is made all the more complicated by the troubles with advertising on satellite radio: while ads aren't unheard of, listeners subscribe precisely to avoid the ad-heavy universe of FM networks. Enter today's deal between XM and Google: the latter will let AdWords customers produce radio ads that can be automatically inserted into news and talk channels on the XM network. The deal will let XM get fresh ads cheaply and easily, which in turn should help the company turn a profit sooner. Whether you prefer Sirius or XM, there's little doubt that keeping choices open for satellite radio is beneficial for all of us.
