A month after Tesco launched Clubcard TV, a Blinkbox-powered video-streaming service supported by advertisers, the UK supermarket giant has announced a new content deal with BBC Worldwide.
Just to recap, we first reported on Clubcard TV back in February when it launched in private beta with Tesco employees, but it then opened to all Clubcard customers last month. Users are required to enter their Clubcard membership number, however, anyone can get hold off a Tesco Clubcard, so this will really be open to anyone, regardless of how frequently they shop at Tesco.
Clubcard TV was created by the same team behind Blinkbox, which Tesco bought a majority stake in way back in April 2011. There are currently sixteen million Clubcard members, so this will have a sizable potential userbase from the off, and there will be a strong focus on family-friendly content.
Indeed, with the BBC Worldwide deal, Clubcard TV will now get a raft of cookery (Antonio Carluccio, Ken Hom and Gary Rhodes), comedy and drama programmes. Some examples include Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Goodness Gracious Me and Alistair McGowan’s Big Impression, while Carrie’s War, Blackpool, Stig of the Dump and The Secret Garden will be available too.
Clubcard TV is free, but is supported by targeted advertising based on users’ shopping habits, with data gleaned from shoppers’ Clubcard. Advertisers signed up for the launch include Kellogg’s, J&J, Colgate and Danone.
If Tesco continues to ramp up its content deals, and launches on games consoles, tablets, Smart TVs, Blu-ray players and set top boxes (which it says it plans to), then it could eventually gain some traction in the increasingly-saturated streaming space.
For now, it’s only available online through the Clubcard TV website, and the content isn’t up to scratch with other services in the space. But then again, what do you expect for free?
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