Boston, MA 05/14/2014 (wallstreetpr) – For internet radio company Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:SIRI), the changing nature of consumer tastes translates into business challenges.
Many Competitors
Also, with large companies being in the mood for acquisitions, Sirius might well appear to be an attractive buy for companies like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). With Apple ready to spend more than $3 billion to buy up Beats Electronics, it won’t be too surprising if they went for one more acquisition.
On the other hand, Apple could simply double down on its strategy of growing its iTunes Radio by adding more content to the platform. With 200 million subscribers of its iTunes service, Apple is a massive company that can swamp Sirius if it wishes. With the launch of Apple’s CarPlay system, Apple appears to be serious about in-car entertainment systems which includes car radios. For Sirius, car rental companies like Avis Budget Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CAR) and Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HTZ) are major sources of revenue with Sirius radio being available as a paid feature in the rental cars. Mercedes and Volvo already have CarPlay in their on-road cars as OEM equipment and more auto brands will be incorporating CarPlay soon. What if Avis and Hertz cars include CarPlay? Conversely, can Sirius radios be part of mass market cars as OEM equipment?
Another competitor of Sirius is Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P). Spotify is another subscription-driven music service provider that is a hot favorite with consumers.
Sirius Offerings
On its part, Sirius — with 4Q2013 revenues of $1 billion — is pursuing many different initiatives such as exclusive coverage of the U.S. PGA Tour and the MLB season. Also, NBC’s Today show is going to be simulcast on Sirius on Channel 108 from next month which will be a win-win for NBC as well as Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:SIRI). Cable channels such as CNN, CNBC, MSNBC and Fox News are already available on Sirius.
In a season of potential deals involving such a diverse range of companies as AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) (NASDAQ:CMCSK), DIREC TV (NASDAQ:DTV), DISH Network Corp (NASDAQ:DISH), Sprint Corporation (NYSE:S) and T-Mobile US Inc (NYSE:TMUS), it won’t be too surprising if Sirius becomes a takeover-target.
