Press release here. (http://phoenix.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=127160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=762344&highlight=)

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. and WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- An agreement between DIRECTV and XM Satellite Radio, the nation's leading providers of digital satellite entertainment programming, will be much more than just music to the ears of more than 14.6 million DIRECTV customers nationwide.

As part of DIRECTV's dedication to offering the best in entertainment to its customers, beginning Nov. 15, 2005, 72 channels of XM's quality music, children's, and talk programming will be available via DIRECTV, nearly doubling its current audio programming lineup at no additional cost. In addition to music channels and children's programming, XM will provide XM's Major League Baseball "Home Plate" talk radio channel, and its High Voltage channel, featuring talk radio stars Opie and Anthony.

...snip...

Customers subscribing to the DIRECTV TOTAL CHOICE(R) programming package will have access to 50 XM Satellite Radio music channels and customers subscribing to the DIRECTV TOTAL CHOICE(R) Plus programming package and above will have access to more than 65 channels. DIRECTV PARA TODOS(R) customers will also have access to the same XM channels, as well as five additional Latin music channels.

EDIT... I put 2006, but meant 2005 in the title.

Woo-hoo! I was hoping this would happen at some point.

So I guess this is going to replace the existing music channels they have? That's probably a good thing, since I almost never listened to them. XM has a few stations I listen to when I get a rental car with XM.

So I guess this is going to replace the existing music channels they have? That's probably a good thing, since I almost never listened to them. XM has a few stations I listen to when I get a rental car with XM.

I was under the impression that this was in addition to the Music Choice offerings, but I am not positive. When Dish Network signed a deal with Sirius, I believe they made those additional channels instead of replacing their previous audio channels.

Yep, it appears it will be in addition to the exisiting Music Choice. A closer read of the release says that the addition of XM will almost double DirecTV's music offerings.

Apparently channel 800 now has a slate about the XM additions.

Can any of you that check it out tell me what it says?

Apparently channel 800 now has a slate about the XM additions.

Can any of you that check it out tell me what it says?

I'm interested as well. I won't be back home until tomorrow night to check.

It is replacing Music Choice...

Moving Up to XM Satellite Radio
With the XM Satellite Radio launch, music channel names and numbers will change from the current lineup. XM Satellite Radio will replace MUSIC CHOICE, offering more channels and choices for customers with each programming package. An updated channel lineup will be available on this page soon.

Base Package Updates

TOTAL CHOICE® customers will receive 50 XM music channels
TOTAL CHOICE® PLUS customers will receive 67 XM music channels
TOTAL CHOICE® PREMIER customers will receive 67 XM music channels
DIRECTV PARA TODOS® customers will receive 7 Latin Music XM music channels in addition to their regular package selection.

http://www.directv.com/see/landing/xm.html

Listening to radio through my tv is almost as dumb an idea as paying for radio.

Listening to radio through my tv is almost as dumb an idea as paying for radio.

That's why you hook up the receiver to an A/V receiver, which you've already done if you listen to it in surround. Did you even know there was higher audio quality available than your TV's speakers?

Listening to radio through my tv is almost as dumb an idea as paying for radio.
I gotta agree with this one. I use my TV for watching and playing games, not listening to music or talk radio.

I gotta agree with this one. I use my TV for watching and playing games, not listening to music or talk radio.

As stated previously, the idea is that you wouldn't be listening to it through the TV. It just happens to enter your house through the same satellite receiver as the channels you watch.

Well, this is pretty cool I guess. Now I will have XM at home, and Sirius on the road and home. I can live with that.

And there are many times when turning on the music on the TV is good. Doing stuff around the house like cleaning and stuff, turn it on and turn it up. Also, we have a pair of wireless speakers that we can move around, take outside, other rooms, so that expands the listening area. We use the DirecTV music channels right now once a week or so. And if I get the punk station on my TV I'm a happy mofo.

*: Denotes TC Plus
**: Denotes Para Todos

Decades:
801 40s
802 50s
803 60s
804 70s
805 80s
806 90s

Country:
808 America
809 Nashville
810 X Country
811 Hank's Place
812 Bluegrass Junction
813 The Village*
814 Highway 16

Hits:
816 Top 20
817 Kiss
818 Mix
819 Heart
820 Sunny
821 Blend
822 Cinemagic

823 On Broadway*
824 U-Pop*
825 Eye*

Christian:
826 Fish
827 Spirit
828 Enlighten*

Rock:
829 Deep Tracks
830 Boneyard*
831 XMU*
832 XM Cafe
833 Top Tracks
834 Ethel
835 Squizz
836 The Loft
837 XM Music Lab*
838 Lucy
839 Fred*

Urban:
841 Soul Street
842 Flow
843 Suite 62
844 The Groove*
845 The Rhyme
846 Raw
847 The City
848 Special-X

Jazz/Blues:
850 Real Jazz
851 Watercolors
852 Beyond Jazz
853 Frank's Place
854 Bluesville

Lifestyle:
855 Fine Tuning*
856 Audio Visions

Dance/World:
858 The Move
859 BPM
860 The System
861 Chrome
862 World Zone
863 The Joint

Classical:
864 XM Classics
865 Vox
866 XM Pops

Kids:
867 Radio Disney*
868 For Kids*

Latin:
870 Alegria*/**
871 Aguila**
872 Caliente*/**
873 Luna**

3 more Latin channels to come...

878 MLB Home Plate*
879 High Voltage*

Taken from a post at dbsforums.com (http://www.dbsforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45686).

pretty cool. we'll put on the music channels from time to time if we need background music for a party or something. what's already there is a pretty good selection, so this just makes it nicer.

I would estimate that 95% of the time my father in law has the TV on, it's tuned to one of the music channels, so this is nice for him.

I'll put the DTV music channels on every once in a while. Actually, I prefer the DTV heavy metal channel to what XM offers, because XM's Squizz channel has way too much post-grunge/nu-metal stuff (Seether, Chevelle, and countless other bands that all sound the same). And the Boneyard has too much hair metal. There's a big gap in their metal coverage that they haven't replaced since they canceled Liquid Metal.

i love the cinemagic channel, all movie scores all day long, sometimes with soundbytes included. i just hope they have the name of the songs on the screen like musicchoice did. too bad they arent including some of the talk stations though

As long as I have an 80's channel to listen to while I am cleaning or working, I am happy! Beyond that, I really don't care...listen to my iPod/iTunes most of the time anyway....

which sports does xm radio carry baseball or football?

this is going to be cool to listen to other games on directv

XM has baseball. However, I don't think the games will be on DTV, just the one talk channel they have devoted to baseball (channel 175 in the car, 878 on the TV).

Dola. In fact, I'm fairly certain DTV wouldn't allow the games to be broadcast, because that would cut into their sales of the baseball package.