LG Uplus to offer Spotify to mobile subscribers

SEOUL, Aug. 10 (Yonhap) -- LG Uplus Corp., a major South Korean telecom operator, said Tuesday it will offer Spotify to its mobile users for up to six months in a move expected to expand the music streaming service's presence in the country.

The telecom operator said subscribers to its 4G LTE and 5G network plans will have free access to Spotify Premium, which costs 10,900 won (US$9.5) a month here, for three to six months, depending on the price of their plans.

The move virtually applies to all of LG Uplus' around 15 million mobile users as it only offers 4G LTE and 5G mobile network plans.

The partnership is expected to boost Spotify's presence in South Korea against established players after its entry in February this year.

As of May, Melon, under tech giant Kakao Corp., had 8.56 million monthly active users, followed by Genie Music, backed by telecom giant KT Corp., at 5.05 million, with Spotify lagging far behind at 282,000, according to local data tracker IGAWorks.

In comparison, Spotify had 165 million paid subscribers globally as of the second quarter.

LG Uplus said in a statement that it expects the partnership to bring about a shift in the local music streaming market on the back of Spotify's trove of 70 million tracks and 4 billion playlists.

The South Korean telecom operator has recently bolstered efforts in media businesses and is in talks with Walt Disney Co. to offer the video streaming service Disney+ on its internet protocol TVs.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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