The Justice Department approved Sirius Satellite Radio's $5 billion buyout of rival XM Satellite Radio on Monday, saying the deal was unlikely to hurt competition or consumers.
AP
XM Sirius
The deal was approved despite opposition from consumer groups and an intense lobbying campaign by the land-based radio industry.
The buyout received shareholder approval in November. The companies said the merger will save hundreds of millions of dollars in operating costs — savings that will ultimately benefit their customers.
The Justice Department, in a lengthy news release explaining its decision, said the two companies compete not just with each other but also with other forms of radio and entertainment.
"The likely evolution of technology in the future, including the expected introduction in the next several years of mobile broadband Internet devices, made it even more unlikely that the transaction would harm consumers in the longer term," the Justice Department said. "Accordingly, the division has closed its investigation of the proposed merger."
XM Satellite shares leaped more than 13 percent after the government's announcement, while Sirius shares rose almost 6 percent.