Subscribers of telecom operator TeliaSonera’s IP-based TV service in Finland and Sweden will get access to music service Spotify via their set-top boxes, the two companies said on Thursday.
Today, users can listen to music via Spotify on their PCs and smartphones. Just like the smartphone version, users have to sign up and pay for the premium version of Spotify to be able to use the TV version. In Sweden, the premium version costs 99 kronor (US$12) per month.
The TV version will be launched in June, according to TeliaSonera.
Working with TeliaSonera is a first step, according to a spokeswoman at Spotify. The company is talking to other TV providers and home electronics makers, so more deals targeting consumers in the living room are likely, she said via e-mail.
The TV version comes with a trimmed-down version of the Spotify client. It gives users access to the playlists they have created, according to a spokesman at TeliaSonera. It might sound very limiting, but works well when sitting on the living room couch, he said.
To use the service, users log in with their regular account name. Several accounts can be saved by the client, so users can then switch between different ones, according to Spotify. The fact that many people have their set-top box hooked up to their sound system makes it a good combination, it said in a blog post.
On Thursday, Spotify also released an updated version of its client for Symbian-based smartphones, including the Sony Ericsson Vivaz Pro. For example, the Symbian-version can now import a users own music collection into the Spotify client.