UK Retailer Tesco to Go Head-to-Head With iTunes

UK Retailer Tesco to Go Head-to-Head With iTunes

Retail giant Tesco has announced that it is to launch a Digital Locker in a move to take on iTunes in the UK. The idea behind the Digital Locker is that consumers will essentially buy the title and not the format and will thus be able to play music and video on any device that is registered in the user’s name. The content would then be streamed or downloaded to that device.

Techradar.com reports that Richard Bron, CEO of Blueprint Digital — the company working on the project with Tesco — said, “The way it would work practically is that when you buy a disc in store or online, that title would be put up into your Digital Locker which would immediately be accessible from a device registered to that locker.”

According to Bron, a registration scheme would be put into place and that devices such as iPods and other MP3 players would then need to be “authenticated by a clearing house to prove that it is that person, and is content they own. The content could then be either streamed or downloaded to that device, whenever or wherever they are.”

In a move designed to encourage customer loyalty, the Digital Locker would be linked to Tesco’s Clubcard database and is understood to be hitting the market in October. In a further move, not only will customers gain the rights to listen to music and watch video on a number of devices ranging from MP3 players through to mobile phones and computers, the project is likely to be DRM-free. Whatever is decided, it looks like customers will finally get some more shelf space at home.

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