The results of a new web poll survey, conducted by Rock radio consultants Jacobs Media, consisting of over 25,000 respondents from 69 Rock-formatted stations from all over the U.S., shows that satellite radio subscribership has not changed since last year’s survey, despite extensive marketing throughout 2006.

"While satellite radio continues to be a hot topic of conversation, growth for both XM and Sirius appears to have greatly slowed," Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs comments. "Our findings also show that potential interest among non-subscribers has also diminished from our survey last year."

From the 2006 to 2007 studies, the numbers are essentially unchanged – about 12% of Rockers subscribe to XM, Sirius, or both services. Men and 30-39 year-olds are most apt to be satellite radio customers.

Among those who have not bought either service, only 9% say they are very likely to subscribe to XM or Sirius, with the latter having a slight edge. This is down from 12% in the 2006 study.

Of the two services, Sirius clearly has the greater momentum and overall satisfaction scores. But overall, satellite radio subscribers are not as enthusiastic as in past Jacobs Media web polls. While 38% of these customers say they’re "very satisfied" with satellite radio, this level has decreased from 44% in both 2005 and 2006. Still, seven in ten (70%) subscribers are very or somewhat satisfied with either or both services. It is noteworthy that 45% of Sirius customers describe themselves as "very satisfied," compared to only 34% for XM.

Just over half (54%) of subscribers say they will "absolutely continue to subscribe" through the year, and once again, Sirius customers are more positive (61%).

Satellite radio subscribers devote a significant portion of their overall radio listening to either XM or Sirius’ various channel offerings, but still end up spending more time with terrestrial radio. Overall, three in ten (31%) say they now listen mostly or exclusively to satellite-delivered stations, with 43% of Sirius subscribers devoting the lion’s share of their time to these channels. But overall, nearly four in ten (38%) satellite users listen mostly or only to area AM and FM stations. This data supports the recent Arbitron analysis from the Fall ’06 ratings book that confirmed that satellite radio listeners actually listen to more terrestrial radio on a weekly basis (14 hours versus 10:45).

Satellite radio remains largely an in-car medium. Three-fourths (73%) receive the service in a vehicle, while more than four in ten (44%) listen at home. One-fourth (23%) tune in during at-work hours, while 12% listen on a portable device. These location percentages are largely unchanged from the 2006 study.

What are the key reasons for subscribership to both services? Overall, the music channels, commercial-free programming, and listening while traveling are the main drivers for both XM and Sirius. But Howard Stern continues to emerge as a key factor for Sirius, mentioned by a third (33%) of its paying customers. While sports programming plays an important role for at least a fourth of subscribers to both services, celebrity talent such as Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart are mentioned by only about 1% of XM and Sirius customers respectively. Opie & Anthony are considered a main reason for signing up among less than one in ten XM subscribers (9%).

What are the outstanding complaints among XM and Sirius subscribers? Four in ten (39%) Sirius customers have no major issues, while three in ten (30%) XMers also cite no problems. Among the Sirius clientele, the key negatives revolve around too many channels that are not of interest (22%), advertisements on certain channels where commercial-free programming was expected, and audio/sound drop-out (both with 19%). For XM subscribers, it’s a slightly different story. While nearly a third (32%) mention commercials on some of the channels, three in ten (29%) point to a great deal of programming that doesn’t interest them. Other concerns, mentioned by at least one in ten XM subscribers, include audio drop-outs, navigating the many channels, the expense, and not tuning in as often as they expected.

Finally, the proposed merger between XM and Sirius elicits mixed reactions from satellite customers. About a third feel it will make no difference, while an additional third say they don’t know enough about the details of the merger to venture an opinion. About one-fourth (23%) are optimistic about the potential union of XM and Sirius, while one in ten (10%) expresses concerns about this proposed plan.

Jacobs Media’s Technology Web Poll III is the largest such study of its kind, conducted in late February/early March 2007, among more than 25,000 respondents across 69 different Rock-formatted stations. It is the third annual poll of this kind, conducted among Rock radio listeners who are predominantly members of station email clubs. Participating stations represent Mainstream/Active Rock, Classic Rock, Alternative, and Triple A outlets in markets around the U.S.

Of course, this is a web poll, and cannot replicate all radio listeners or even all Rock radio listeners. As with all Internet-based research projects of this kind, the results reflect only those who chose to participate in the survey, and do not necessarily represent the views of all Rock radio listeners in the country. Still, the 69 radio stations that invited their listeners to take the survey are a broad cross-section of Rock stations, from large and small markets, as well as those that play the newest Rock music and those that play only Classic Rock.

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