Tesco and Blinkbox in disc-to-digital movie link-up

Tesco has linked up with Blinkbox to offer its customers digital copies of movies that are bought in the store.

The announcement means that certain Blu-rays or DVDs - including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - bought in Tesco will now come with a digital copy which can be claimed back through the Tesco Clubcard service.

There's been rumour for a while that Tesco was planning an assault on the digital download market.

Back in June 2010 it first announced plans that some sort of digital locker scheme would be put in place but it wasn't until the supermarket giant bought a majority stake in Blinkbox that its plans started to become a bit clearer.

Digital decision

At the moment the scheme is only available on selected movies, with the likes of Lionsgate, Warner Home Video, Paramount and 2 Entertain signed up to the deal.

A number of big-name distributors are not yet linked to the deal, including Twentieth Century Fox.

TechRadar has contacted Fox for comment, as it is playing a significant part in the UltraViolet scheme which is yet to launch in the UK but has hit the US.

UltraViolet is also a type of digital locker which allows users to watch digital movies on a number of devices with leaner copyright restrictions in place.

According to Tesco, customers who have purchased eligible movies in-store or online with their Tesco Clubcard can watch them wherever they are through blinkbox, PC, Mac, PS3, LG and Samsung Smart TV, and soon on Xbox 360 and iPad.

Speaking about the new scheme, Michael Comish, CEO, blinkbox said: "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 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."