Washington - Trying to appease federal regulators, XM Satellite Radio and rival Sirius said on Monday that they will allow customers to purchase subscriptions on an a la carte basis following their planned merger.

One option will allow subscribers to choose 50 channels for $6.99, about $6 less than the price to purchase either the standard XM or Sirius service.

Under the plan, customers will be able to add additional channels starting at $0.25 each a month.

A second a la carte option will allow subscribers to choose 100 channels for $14.99 a month.

The combined company plans to offer several other new programming packages, including two "family-friendly" options that will block adult-themed programming and cost $1 less than a regular package.

The companies, which announced their $4.7 billion merger in February, said that they will begin offering a la carte programming within a year of the deal's closing, with other programming options beginning within six months.

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