Virgin Media has signed an exclusive agreement with the digital music service Spotify. The catalogue of over 13 million tracks will be available over the TV, broadband and mobile devices.
It is the second European deal with a TV platform for Spotify, which in June 2010 signed a similar deal with TeliaSonera in Sweden and Finland.
Virgin plans to bundle Spotify with its existing broadband and TV packages with a series of offers to new and existing customers. These will include both Spotify Unlimited, which will give customers unlimited access to Spotify’s full library of music, ad-free, on their computers, and Spotify Premium, which adds the ability to enjoy the complete Spotify library on the move through mobile devices.
Virgin also plans to offer its customers exclusive features and content.
There will be a special sign-up window for current Virgin Media subscribers, while those who already hold a Spotify account will be able to transfer their details across.
Jon James, executive director of broadband at Virgin Media, said: “We are delighted to have united the Virgin Media brand with the world’s best music service. Spotify will help our customers to fill their world with music, whether it’s at home or on the go, and provide a unique way to get even more out of Virgin Media’s leading digital services.”
Andreas Liffgarden, director of business development at Spotify, added: “By teaming up with Virgin Media we’re giving millions more people across the UK the chance to enjoy all the world’s music at their fingertips, however they choose to listen to it – be that on their computer, mobile, and for the first time through their TV.”
Subscribers will be able to create their own playlists as well as sharing them with friends through social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter. TiVo customers will be able to enjoy Spotify through a specially created app.
Music is a seen as a key area for platform operators. Canal Digital now offers streaming service WiMP to customers in the Nordic region, but the BSkyB-initiated Sky Songs closed in December 2010, just over a year after its launch.
Virgin already has a music video on demand service, introduced in 2010, which also gives customers the ability to create their own playlists.
