Sirius XM iPhone App – 1 Million Downloads in 2 Weeks!

Within a span of two weeks, there were more than 1 million downloads on Sirius XM’s application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. This is in spite of the fact that the app got a user rating of 2 out of 5 from some 57,000 people. Amazing to see such a crazy response.

The app was launched on June 18 of this year and provides 120 channels of Sirius XM programming, including:

• Sports
• Entertainment
• Comedy
• Commercial-free music.

Sirius XM Radio is America’s satellite radio company delivering to subscribers commercial-free music channels, premier sports, news, talk, entertainment, and traffic and weather. It has content relationships with an array of personalities and artists, including Howard Stern, Martha Stewart, Oprah Winfrey, Jimmy Buffett, Jamie Foxx, Barbara Walters, Opie & Anthony, Bubba the Love Sponge(R), The Grateful Dead, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Bob Edwards. SIRIUS XM Radio is the leader in sports programming as the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the NFL, Major League Baseball(R), NASCAR(R), NBA, NHL(R), and PGA TOUR(R), and broadcasts major college sports.

Sirius XM’s iPhone app received negative reaction because of the absence of Howard Stern. As some might put it: “What is Sirius without Howard Stern? Nothing!”

The cost?

The app is free, but subscription to Sirius XM is necessary to listen to content on the Apple devices:

• All Internet-only subscribers who pay XM Sirius $12.95 per month to stream stations on their computers (at 128 kbps), can play channels on their iPhone or iPod Touch.
• All XM Sirius subscribers who pay for the radio access to listen on the Apple handsets, have to pay $2.99 per month in addition to the $12.95. This means that the extra $2.99 also allows them to listen on their computer.

Sirius XM already stands at the number 6 spot on the top free iTunes download list. The Sirius XM app is available for free from Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/ and www.siriusxm.com/app.

(Source: Sirius press release)