Back in July, Nokia’s MixRadio was supposedly going to spin-off into a separate company, but Microsoft has now revealed that the streaming service will be acquired by Line. The Redmond giant hasn’t disclosed how much dough the messaging company will be shelling out for gaining control over the application, but it does note that the deal is expected to get completed by early 2015.
For those who aren’t familiar with Line, this service is basically an IM application that’s available for multiple platforms including Android, iOS, Windows Phone and even Windows desktop. The app which comes from Japan is one of the largest in the world and it’s also one of the biggest competitors to WhatsApp.
The tool’s popularity is in developing countries especially Asia and with the acquisition, MixRadio could make its debut in even more locations around the globe. Currently, the streaming service is present in 21 counties and is also exclusive to the Windows Phone platform. This is likely to change in the future with Android and iOS versions making their debut.
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The Head of MixRadio, Jyrki Rosenberg, has disclosed that current users can expect the ‘same level of commitment (from the company) to bring a personalized music experience to Lumia smartphones.’ He also notes that the entire team will continue to operate in Bristol, UK, where it’s currently headquartered.
The service was created by Nokia back in 2007 and it allows users to stream entire playlists free of cost and without any ads. A subscription based model is also available called MixRadio+, where customers are treated to many more features such as song lyrics, the ability to skip tracks and also download playlists for offline listening.
We’ll have more information on the Microsoft MixRadio acquisition by Line as and when available.