"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," said Luke Jensen, Group Development Director of Sainsbury's. "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."
Sainsbury's isn't the only supermarket looking to get a slice of the streaming pie. In April of 2011, Tesco purchased an 80 percent majority stake in movie streaming service Blinkbox. London-based Blinkbox offers users TV shows and over thousands of films for both streaming and download via free (ad-supported) and paid-access plans. However, while Sainsbury's partnership with Rovi will net the supermarket its own own-brand streaming service, Blinkbox continues to operate under its own name.
Pricing for Sainsbury's Entertainment's streaming options has not yet been released, but we'll keep you posted.
