Tesco to boost DVD sales with Blinkbox on-demand link

The Tesco-owned Blinkbox has today announced a new service involving Clubcard customers who purchase a DVD or Blu-ray also being offered a digital copy of the movie.

in April, supermarket giant Tesco made the surprise move of taking a majority stake in Blinkbox, the video on-demand provider that claims 2m users across a range of devices.

At the time, Tesco UK chief executive Richard Brasher said that the deal would enable the firm to "link physical purchase of a product to the building of digital collections in a new and seamless way".

Today's announcement is the first major step in that direction, as part of a growing industry trend of bringing together the sale of physical products with digital versions.

Customers using Tesco's Clubcard loyalty system who also have a Blinkbox account will now find that any DVD or Blu-ray they buy from Tesco will result in the same movie automatically appearing in their Blinkbox video library for viewing on PC, Mac, PS3, LG and Samsung Smart TV.

The service will officially launch tomorrow for the DVD release of Harry Potter and the Death Hallows - Part 2, along with other titles such as Jeremy Clarkson: Powered Up and Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon.

More titles will join the service in the weeks ahead, including The Hangover Part 2 on December 5, and Conan the Barbarian on December 12.

"Customers know that Tesco is a great retailer for new technology. This innovation with Blinkbox will help start a digital revolution, combining the physical with the digital for the first time," said Brasher.

"Starting with the magic of Harry Potter, there will be many more great titles to follow for customers to enjoy online wherever and whenever they like."

Michael Comish, who co-founded Blinkbox in 2007 and is the firm's chief executive, added: "To be able to bring this truly ground-breaking service to consumers is very exciting for Blinkbox.

"Our customers already know that we are the number one choice for the latest new movie titles the day they are released on DVD, so working with Tesco to give them access to both a physical and a digital version allows them choice and the best of both worlds."

Tesco and Blinkbox's service is part of efforts to bolster overall sales of DVDs and videos, which have fallen by 6% year-on-year according to figures from the British Video Association.

However, digital sales have increased by 20% over the past year, and many companies are keen to create greater harmony between the two strands, ensuring customers don't have to make the choice between physical and digital copies of movies.

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