Blinkbox Music: Tesco to launch streaming music service alongside Blinkbox movies and TV

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Two new streaming services have been launched under the Tesco-owned Blinkbox brand, bringing streaming music and ebook downloads alongside films and TV shows

Blinkbox Music and Blinkbox Books are set to launch alongside Blinkbox Movies, as the Blinkbox brand, owned by Tesco, looks to offer a complete digital content platform.

The new streaming music service will see Blinkbox taking on the likes of Rdio and Spotify, and giving Tesco a digital music rival to online stores such as Amazon.

Tesco PLC acquired the Blinkbox brand, then a streaming on-demand movie service, in April 2011, before buying digital music platform WE7 in Juen 2012 and digital book business Mobcast in September 2012.

Today, Tesco PLC announced new appointments that confirm the company's plans to lauch blinkboxmusic and blinkboxbooks (yes, that's how they're spelt) alongside Clubcard TV, "the free ad supported movie and TV service".

Clubcard TV is a free streaming movie service for Clubcard customers that runs alongside Blinkbox's film service, which offers films to rent or buy on a pay-per-view basis without a subscription.

Blinkbox has had tough competition from Lovefilm and Netflix, though both those streaming film services offer content on a subscription rather than PPV basis.

Last year, Blinkbox signed a deal with Disney for TV and film content, having brought Blinkbox movies to more platforms including iPad and Xbox. Blinkbox is also on smart TV platforms.

The new streaming services will see Blinkbox take on the likes of Rdio and Spotify in the world of music streaming, and online stores such as Amazon. No official details on the new Blinkboxmusic service have been released, however.

A press release from Blinkbox confirmed the changes: "The new digital entertainment services, which complement the existing movie and TV streaming offering acquired by Tesco in 2011, will exist as separate entities united under the blinkbox brand "

Michael Cornish, CEO of Tesco Digital Entertainment, said: "The development of these new services demonstrates our total commitment to providing the best entertainment as easily as possible for our customers. They allow us to provide even more choice in how customers buy and enjoy their entertainment."

Written by Joe Cox

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Joe Cox
Joe Cox
Content Director

Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff, and the Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).