Deezer "struck a deal with TalkSport to offer Premier League and FA Cup matches on its streaming service" in the U.K., according to Mark Sweney of the London GUARDIAN. The Spotify rival, "which is planning an initial public offering" that could value the business at €1B ($1.1B), has also struck a deal with Sport1.fm "to provide match commentary from the Bundesliga on its service in Germany." Deezer Chief Content & Product Officer Alexander Holland said, "Football is a major passion for many of our listeners, and we wanted to find a way to bring them closer to what they love." Under the deal, U.K. subscribers "will be able to listen to live match commentary of 64 Premier League games this season as well as a selection of FA Cup matches." There "are plans to expand the deal to other European countries" as TalkSport develops its int'l commentary services. TalkSport parent company UTV Media COO Scott Taunton said, "As the audio streaming landscape evolves it is important for us to work with platforms that are leading this change" (GUARDIAN, 10/1).
