Continuing its efforts to broaden the reach of its music service, Real on Thursday announced a deal with Cox, the third largest cable provider in the US.

Rhapsody already has a similar deal through Comcast, where it offers its radio service for free to their customers. Like that deal, users will also have the option to purchase plans to allow for unlimited streaming and downloads of music.

For those who may desire more than just radio and streaming, an unlimited plan allows for unrestricted access to streaming for $12.99 per month, and for an extra $2 users gain the right to download tracks for playback on supported devices.

Currently, the service supports the Sansa Rhapsody, its flagship player, as well as a variety of others. Tracks are not playable on the Apple iPod, however. The service will initially be available to Cox subscribers in Northern Virginia.

Deals such as the one with Cox are important for Real as it continues to battle Apple's iTunes juggernaut in the digital music space. It has begun to move aggressively to court both users and partners.

One of its biggest grabs in the corporate space was striking a deal with Yahoo, which shuttered its music service in February and sent its customers to Real.