DirecTV to Add 72 XM Channels

TV via satellite will team up with radio via satellite Nov. 15.

DirecTV Inc. said Thursday that it will begin offering 72 channels from XM Satellite Radio, including music, children's and talk fare.

Among offerings to be added to the direct-broadcast satellite provider’s lineup free-of-charge will be XM's Major League Baseball "Home Plate" talk-radio channel and its “High Voltage” channel, which features talk-radio stars Opie and Anthony.

“This marks the beginning of a natural partnership between the nation's leading satellite-radio company and the leading satellite-television company," XM senior vice president of marketing and operations Patricia Kesling said in a prepared statement.

DirecTV executive VP of programming acquisitions Dan Fawcett added, “DirecTV is making a major commitment in the world of music, and this alliance with XM Satellite Radio will leave a lasting imprint on not only our more than 14.6 million customers nationwide, but on the pay television industry as a whole.”