1. The U.S. Justice Department determined that the merger was not anticompetitive because forms of competition exist in the audio entertainment market. Discuss the competitors in this market.
2. Will this merger harm or benefit consumers?

After more than a year following the announcement of a potential merger between Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio, the United States Department of Justice and the Federa Communication Commission have now approved it. Since the January 2007 announcement, critics have voiced many concerns regarding programming redundancy and equipment compatibility, but the major issue was the effect the merger will have on competition. Sirius and XM are the only two providers of satellite radio, so a merger would create a monopoly with more than 17 million subscribers. The controversy was fueled by fears of consumer price increases unabated by competitive pressures.