SiriusXM advertised the price minus a fee worth 10-20% — Canada fined $3.3M

SiriusXM Canada advertised its satellite radio and streaming subscription plans on its website, in promotional emails and in direct mail — outside Quebec, at prices no subscriber could ever pay. Every advertised plan excluded a mandatory charge, the Music Royalty and Administrative Fee, which added 10% to 20% to the monthly cost. The Competition Bureau called the advertised numbers unattainable: misleading price representations under the Competition Act.

On 5 June 2024 SiriusXM signed a consent agreement: a $3.3 million penalty plus $30,000 toward the Bureau's investigation costs, a commitment to stop drip pricing and promoting unattainable subscription prices, and an enhanced compliance program. Commissioner Matthew Boswell set the standard in one line: Canadians should be able to trust that the price they see is the one they pay.

SiriusXM extended the Bureau's drip-pricing ledger from one-time purchases to subscriptions — from Bell's $10 million in 2011 through Ticketmaster, StubHub and TicketNetwork to a recurring bill that compounds the drip every month. Since 2022 drip pricing has been written into the Competition Act itself; SiriusXM settled under the new wording.