European music streaming service Deezer is expanding to Asia. It’s announced that it will roll out in Thailand this week, with Singapore and Malaysia to follow shortly. In addition, Indonesia and the Philippines are expected “within the coming weeks”.
Of note, its Thailand launch is in partnership with dTac, one of the region’s leading telecommunications operators. This sees Deezer replicate a model it’s tried elsewhere which has already seen it partner with telcos Orange, T-Mobile and Belgacom in Europe. Competitor Spotify has tried similar telco tie-ups but doesn’t appear to be pursuing these quite so aggressively. It’s also yet to launch in Asia, although the hiring of ex-Googler, Dan Brody, as Spotify’s General Manager Asia-Pacific, nearly a year ago, suggests it still has plans to do so.