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Tesco’s Clubcard TV is now live for non employees

by Mark Tyson on 7 March 2013, 17:12

Tags: Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Tesco (LON:TSCO), blinkbox, PC

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Clubcard TV is now available for common-or-garden Clubcard owners. Last time we reported about the launch of the Clubcard TV beta Tesco forgot to mention in its press release, that only employees with Privilegecards would be allowed to log in and access the video streaming service. That special card number was only required when you had already filled in two pages of personal information and agreed to the t&cs.

Anyway, I like things that are free, so I decided to attempt to sign up again. In Firefox I was prompted to download and install Microsoft Silverlight, I did so and actually didn’t need to restart the browser. The Clubcard TV video content all started streaming quite quickly and smoothly in a quality I would approximate to be the same as YouTube’s 360p setting. The system requirements are quite simple and basic; a PC or Mac onto which you can run a browser with Microsoft’s Silverlight extension/plugin.

Before it starts you see a buffering screen which shows a busy animation and the message “loading” followed by “individualising”. Skipping through content seemed just as responsive as when using YouTube for me, which isn’t bad. The service is ad-funded and Tesco can use your Clubcard shopping data to provide “the most targeted TV adverts in the world” to viewers of the site. That may be what the “individualising” buffering message referred to.

What is the extent of the entertainment content? Clicking “All comedy” in the TV show category reveals a total of seven poor choices. However clicking “All Comedy” in the films category yielded many more results. If you are interested it’s pretty quick and painless to sign up, if you already have a Tesco Clubcard.

Blinkbooks and Blinkbox Music

Tesco is planning to make even more blinking products too. Earlier this week The Telegraph revealed that the firm is to launch specialist ebook sales and specialist music downloads/streaming businesses. These would be called Blinkbooks and Blinkbox Music, respectively. Tesco has poached a couple of proven execs for the tasks of heading up these two new etailer operations. Gavin Sathianathan, Facebook’s head of retail for EMEA will be in control of the books operation. Mark Bennett, a former EMI and Warner Music exec who was working at Sainsbury’s digital will take control of Blinkbox Music.

Tesco will heavily promote the video, books and music services in store which should help it get a foot in the door in a bid to combat the ever growing success of Amazon. Speaking to The Telegraph, Michael Comish, chief executive and founder of Blinkbox, said “I don’t think you compete head on against Amazon. I think you compete around Amazon and leverage the strengths you have... Amazon doesn’t have 2,000 stores. Amazon doesn’t deliver to within the hour. There’s a lot which Tesco has which customers value.”



HEXUS Forums :: 14 Comments

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Oh so that is why the agencies have been hounding me to go work for Tesco.

But seriously thou, isn't it a bit creapy? Rather than been a great thing to provide targetted adverts I find it a little represive.
It's not for me. I don't have a Clubcard and won't ever agree to take one. And moreover, I don't want my personal data analysed to target me with adverts …. not by anybody, for anything.
Saracen
It's not for me. I don't have a Clubcard and won't ever agree to take one. And moreover, I don't want my personal data analysed to target me with adverts …. not by anybody, for anything.

Why? Are you afraid of getting more relevant money off vouchers?

I don't really care if Tesco know I have a thing for pain-aux-raisins… Now Nectar is a bit more creepy as that works in multiple shops, i.e. more data, but still all they'd really know about me is that I no longer shop in Sainsburys but am clearly doing up my new house…
Saracen
And moreover, I don't want my personal data analysed to target me with adverts …. not by anybody, for anything.
But where is the line drawn?

I have a magestic wine near by I use a bit, probably about 30-50 bottles a year. I'd asked them to give me a call if they got any more of something specific in stock. The guy I asked called me a few days later to invite me to a tasting of a specific kind, based on the information he had about me. So whilst that wasn't based on a database, but a person, that bit of targeted advertising is good. Mostly because they don't bother me unless its very likely I'll bite. Ie i've never not.
TheAnimus
But where is the line drawn?

I have a magestic wine near by I use a bit, probably about 30-50 bottles a year. I'd asked them to give me a call if they got any more of something specific in stock. The guy I asked called me a few days later to invite me to a tasting of a specific kind, based on the information he had about me. So whilst that wasn't based on a database, but a person, that bit of targeted advertising is good. Mostly because they don't bother me unless its very likely I'll bite. Ie i've never not.

I let google have my information to target me. They give me a fantastic service and all my nexus devices are top notch. I use adblock on basically everything anyway, and adverts that are more likely to actually be useful to me are a perfectly happy addition to my browsing. I mean, I don't want adverts for flower shops that I wouldn't even consider, but I'd gladly be interested in the latest technology sales.
Also personally I see it as a nice equivilant exchange thing. I basically live in Google, completely for free, there's no reason I have to not let them make a bit more cash from ads more tailored to me.