Sirius Satellite Radio may be the only fully commercial-free satellite music service left, because an arbitration panel told XM Satellite Radio that it must use advertising on certain music channels that are now free of commercials, writes MediaWeek (via MediaBuyerPlanner). The panel's ruling settles a legal dispute with Clear Channel - which gained control of four XM music channels in a 1998 investment - by declaring that "Clear Channel is entitled to include commercials on the music programming it provides XM."

In an attempt to offset the advertising on the four Clear Channel-controlled channels, XM will launch four new commercial-free channels over the next few months. An XM spokesperson said the satellite service is committed to keeping all music channels XM creates free of commercials.