Deezer, a Paris-based digital music streaming service that competes with Spotify, is in talks with Vodacom “as it seeks to expand in Africa faster than its rival”, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

An unnamed Bloomberg source said that Vodacom will offer its customers access to Deezer’s service in a year-long exclusivity deal. TechCentral has independently firmed up that a deal between Vodacom and Deezer is indeed in the works.

The deal, if consummated, will give Deezer access to more than 32m Vodacom customers in South Africa. It follows speculation earlier this year that Spotify, based in Sweden, was also in talks with Vodacom to launch its service in South Africa.

In May, rumours surfaced that Spotify was set to launch in South Africa. At the time, sources said the firm, which already offers its services in 56 countries, was readying a South African offering.

Vodacom is already offering its subscribers one month free access to Deezer, thereafter charging R60/month for access to the service. Launched in 2007, Deezer is available in more than 180 countries with 16m active users and 5m paying subscribers. Its catalogue spans more than 35m songs and more than 30 000 radio channels. — © NewsCentral Media