March 6, 2007
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) and XM, the leader in college sports on radio, today announced a five-year broadcast and marketing agreement under which XM will become the official satellite radio provider of the SEC, broadcasting football, basketball and other sports to XM subscribers nationwide. XM will provide complete coverage of SEC championships, starting with the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament live from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta March 8 through 11 on XM channel 201.
XM will have the most SEC games on the radio with coast-to-coast live broadcasts of the University of Arkansas, University of Georgia, University of Kentucky, Mississippi State University, University of Mississippi and University of Tennessee football, basketball, and other sports starting in fall 2007. The University of South Carolina will join XM in fall 2008, followed by the University of Florida in fall 2009. For each school, XM plans to air every regular-season football game, the vast majority of basketball games, and other sports, plus comprehensive coverage of the SEC football and basketball championships.
“The Southeastern Conference is pleased to enter into this agreement with XM,” said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. “XM’s commitment to the SEC gives our league a tremendous boost in our national radio coverage. Our fans will be able to listen to their favorite schools on a branded SEC channel that will feature programming from our schools and the conference.”
“The SEC has one of the greatest traditions of competition in college sports,” said Eric Logan, XM’s executive vice president for programming. “This agreement means SEC fans can tune into games on the radio, even if they live thousands of miles away from their favorite school. XM will have a group of channels dedicated to the SEC, making it easy for fans to find games and special SEC programs. As the official satellite radio provider for the SEC, XM is extending its position as the leader in college sports on radio.”
In addition to live play-by-play, XM will carry the SEC Football Championship, the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, the SEC Women’s Basketball Championship and other SEC sports. XM will also produce programs throughout the week covering the SEC.
SEC fans can go to http://xmradio.com/sec for a special offer on XM radios. SEC fans can also get special deals on XM radios this week at the SEC men’s basketball tournament and the SEC FanFare in Atlanta. This will be the first in a series of joint marketing efforts by XM and the SEC.
About the SEC
The Southeastern Conference was formed in 1933 and consists of 12 member institutions: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. The league currently sponsors championship play in nine men’s sports and 11 women’s sports. Its headquarters has been located in Birmingham, Ala., since 1948. For more on the conference, visit www.secsports.com.
About XM
XM (NASDAQ: XMSR) is America’s number one satellite radio company with more than 7.6 million subscribers. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington, DC, New York City, Chicago, the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Toronto and Montreal, XM’s 2007 lineup includes more than 170 digital channels of choice from coast to coast: commercial-free music, premier sports, news, talk radio, comedy, children’s and entertainment programming; and the most advanced traffic and weather information.
XM, the leader in satellite-delivered entertainment and data services for the automobile market through partnerships with General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota is available in 140 different vehicle models for 2007. XM’s industry-leading products are available at consumer electronics retailers nationwide. For more information about XM hardware, programming and partnerships, please visit http://www.xmradio.com.
