The Sirius Radio business model is to provide pay-for-service radio, music channels being free of commercials, analogous to the business model for premium cable television. Sirius currently lags behind competitor XM Satellite Radio in terms of subscribers with just over 2.1 million, well less than XM's current audience of more than five million subscribers. Sirius announced in December 2005 a multi-year deal with the NBA, which makes the satellite radio company the broadcaster of more live NBA games than any other radio outlet.

With any Sirius-enabled radio, the user can see the artist and song information on display while listening to the stream. Sirius Radio is broadcasting more than 1,000 regular season NBA games. XM Radio provides data services such as weather information for pilots and weather spotters, in addition to real-time weather and traffic updates every two minutes for major metropolitan areas.

XM Satellite Radio provides digital programming directly from three satellites in geostationary orbit above the equator. XM Radio Canada, controlled by Canadian businessman John Bitove, is partnered with the American service XM Satellite Radio. Sirius currently lags behind competitor XM Satellite Radio in terms of subscribers with just over 2.1 million, well less than XM's current audience of more than five million subscribers.

When the XM Satellite Radio service was launched in late 2001, many analysts had forecast that it was the beginning of the end for traditional radio. There are two kinds of dedicated car satellite radios: brand-specific and universal. Satellite radio receivers continuously display the artist's name and the song title.

The iBiquity system allows U.S. radio stations to broadcast one or more digital feeds on the exact same frequency they use for their regular (analog) signal. Manufacturers are beginning to offer Satellite Radio Ready audio receivers that are capable of either XM or Sirius tuners. Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio offer weather and traffic reports in selected major markets. The coast-to-coast coverage area of satellite radio makes it an indispensable part of any long road trip you take