Sainsburys UK to Launch Broadband Movie and TV Streaming Service

Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has announced its intention to join the likes of LOVEFiLM with the forthcoming launch of their new broadband internet video streaming based movie and TV distribution service, which will offer a mix of video-on-demand rentals and full downloads.

The service, which is expected to launch sometime “later this year [2012]“, is understood to have licensed technology from the Rovi Corporation. Regular readers might recall that this is the same system behind Dixons (Currys, PC World etc.) similar KNOWHOW Movies service, which launched in March 2012.

Similarly customers are being promised access to “an extensive library of film and TV entertainment including new releases often on the same day they are available on DVD and Blu-ray Disc“. The service will initially be web-based only before expanding to offer access via a range of internet connected devices including Smart TVs, Blu-Ray Disc players, Smartphones and game consoles.

Luke Jensen, Sainsbury’s Group Development Director, said:

“Rovi was a natural choice to collaborate with for the launch of Sainsbury’s Entertainment’s digital video service given the company’s market expertise, long-standing industry relationships, and proven technology.

On demand streaming video is an exciting addition to our existing online offerings, and supports our customers as they progress from consuming content on physical disc to accessing their favourite entertainment on a range of devices, where and when they choose.”

No prices or product details have been released, although the description suggests that this service will be extremely similar to what Rovi did for KNOWHOW Movies, where users can individually rent or buy films and TV episodes from major studios. KNOWHOW charges £3.99 to rent and £12.99 to buy, while “catalogue” titles are priced from £2.99 to rent and from £5.99 to buy (TV shows start at £1.99). HD quality streaming should also be available.

Sadly it’s not known how popular KNOWHOW Movies has been for Dixon’s, although it still seems hard to justify paying £3.99 to rent a single new film release when a streaming subscription of £4.99-£5.99 (monthly) often gets you access to much more content via Netflix or LOVEFiLM.