Tesco’s Blinkbox Duels Netflix and Amazon in the UK

As it expands abroad, the world's largest subscription video service, Netflix Inc., has yet to make a profit from its international operations. And now, British retailer Tesco Plc wants to make Netflix's life overseas even more difficult.

The U.K.'s biggest retailer is boosting investment in its digital download service, Blinkbox, which offers thousands of movies and TV series, and will soon feature e-books and music as well. The programs are streamed to computers, tablets, televisions and Sony's PlayStation 3 consoles.

With Blinkbox, Tesco joins the growing ranks of retailers shifting their focus from in-store sales to the digital download market, which is growing about 17% annually and will be worth a total of $20 billion by 2018, according to the consulting company Technavio. Read more...