Spotify offers free Google Chromecast to new Premium subscribers

Spotify is offering a free Chromecast to new customers who sign up to three months of its Premium service. New subscribers in the UK and US are eligible to receive the 2015 model of Google's media streaming device if they join before 28 February.

Chromecast plugs into the HDMI port on your TV and lets you stream (or "cast") content from your Android or Apple device to the television over your home's Wi-Fi connection. Casting is already supported by a number of popular streaming services, including Netflix, YouTube and, of course, Spotify. While the 2015 Chromecast is much the same hardware-wise as the older model, the updated app makes it much simpler to discover new Chromecast-supported content and services.

Spotify is evidently hoping to shake off the growing threat posed by its rivals. Apple Music is quickly gaining ground, with the service now boasting more than 11 million subscribers and having recently introduced support for Sonos speaker systems. Meanwhile, Jay-Z-owned Tidal also laid down a trump card this week after it was revealed that Kanye West's latest album, The Life Of Pablo, would be a Tidal exclusive. In a twist of irony, the album was downloaded illegally 50,000 times within two days of its release.

It is slightly odd to see the regular Chromecast included in the offer and not Chromecast Audio, which can be plugged into any speaker system with an aux, RCA or optical port to allow music streaming over Wi-Fi. Still, we are not complaining - with a Chromecast costing £35 when bought separately, this is great a deal for anyone who was planning to sign up to Spotify anyway.