Subscription television service company British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) is soon going to introduce an online subscription music service and has even roped in Universal which is the world’s biggest music group as its very first partner. Industry insiders believe that this deal could pose a challenge to Apple. In return for a monthly subscription, one will be allowed to download songs from the company’s massive archive and unlimited listening through streaming.

The music tracks will be in the MP3 format which connotes that they can be used on a number of devices such as cell phones and iPods. The BSkyB Company is going to enter a fresh joint venture (JV) in order to introduce this online subscription music service in Britain and Ireland with help from Universal, which owns hundreds of thousands of music tracks.

The BSkyB Company, one hears, is also engaged in talks with other prominent music groups for collaboration in this project, the details of which will be released later on. ‘In a world where a majority of UK homes have high speed broadband access, consumers will welcome a safe, state-of-the-art service and legal alternative to those services which exploit musicians without compensation,’ said Lucian Grainge from Universal. The music industry has been trying with all its might to boost digital sales in recent years after piracy hit the market.