Deezer is one of the biggest and most comprehensive music streaming services yet to launch in the United States, though its arrival is said to be imminent (the French company dipped in a toe in the water with a limited deal with Sonos in September). When it does hit America, it will include podcast support, after acquiring the talk radio and podcast platform Stitcher.
The 35,000+ shows carried by Stitcher and soon to be available to Deezer users include high-profile content from the BBC, NPR, the Wall Street Journal and This American Life. Deezer says that Stitcher’s mobile apps for Android and iOS will continue to be developed independently as well being rolled into the main Deezer service. The streaming platform currently operates in more than 180 countries and claims an active userbase of around 16 million.
“Almost every music listener listens to some form of talk radio, whether it is news, entertainment or sports,” said Deezer founder Daniel Marhely as the deal was announced. “We see the ability to deliver better talk streaming solutions in the same way that we are doing in music to super serve the needs of our global audience of 16 million users and growing. The acquisition of Stitcher helps us realize this opportunity.”
The acquisition of Stitcher also gives Deezer a foothold in the automotive market, where the podcast app already has deals in place with many of the biggest manufacturers in the industry. “We look forward to continue to evolve our leading offerings and deliver the most complete and best digital audio experience for listeners everywhere,” added Stitcher CEO Noah Shanok.
Deezer’s offering is very similar in both price and functionality to existing services from Google, Spotify, Rdio, Beats et al. There’s a strong emphasis on playlist curation and local MP3s can be uploaded to the Web to complement the 30 million songs already in Deezer’s library. Both premium and free, ad-supported plans are available, as long as you live outside the US.
