There are currently 19 million Sirius XM subscribers out there, and the vast majority of those cash-paying customers listen only in the car. Ford was among the earliest mass-market adopters of Sirius, as The Blue Oval made infotainment a big part of its vehicle strategy. But while Ford was an early passenger on the satellite bandwagon, another very popular technology could put the squeeze on pay-for-play radio.

The Motley Fool opines that advances to Sync could hurt Sirius in a very meaningful way. Sync already connects to your MP3 player and your smart phone, but Microsoft and Ford have been working with third parties like Pandora to bring free content through the iPhone, RIM or Android data plan you're already paying for. Beyond Internet radio, Sync also provides turn-by-turn navigation, traffic and weather, emergency assistance and Google Maps.

In the end, though, The Fool is quick to remind us that Ford gets a cut from every Sirius XM subscription. That means the automaker likely will stop short of toppling over the satellite provider. Besides, Sirius subscriptions have done nothing but climb since Sync hit the market three years ago.


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