Satellite radio, also known as subscription radio (SR), is a radio broadcast service that uses direct broadcasting satellites (DBS) to send digital audio signals to receivers. Satellite radio offers near CD quality, uninterrupted programming, and superior reception over terrestrial radio signals that can be interrupted by environmental or man-made obstructions. Satellite radio services operate as a subscription business model, charging monthly fees for users to access a variety of programming.
There were three major satellite radio companies in the US (WorldSpace, Sirius, and XM). WorldSpace focused on the Africa and Asia region; Sirius dominated the North American market; XM was a competitor in the US market until the two companies merged in 2008 to avoid bankruptcy.
In addition to music channels, Sirius and XM offer sports, news, talk, traffic, weather, and other content. Sirius/XM has exclusive radio rights to many college teams in the NCAA Division I men’s basketball and football tournaments. They also have exclusive content for sports enthusiasts, such as NFL Radio and Sirius/XM’s only horse racing talk show, At the Races, and the only syndicated poker show in the country, The Hardcore Poker Show hosted by Rob Pizzo and Chris Tessaro.
In order to maintain a high-quality audio signal from satellites, Sirius/XM transmits their audio using a combination of OFDM QPSK and hierarchical modulation. Hierarchical modulation allows Sirius/XM to use less bandwidth than traditional FM or AM, and to economize on receiver power consumption by sacrificing error correction in the control channels and relying on the more robust error-correction capability of the core audio content.
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