Editor’s Note: The following article is reprinted from Macworld UK. Visit Macworld U.K.’s blog page for the latest Mac news from across the Atlantic.
Giant U.K. retailer Tesco has plans to take on iTunes with its own DRM-free music download service.
Scheduled to launch in May, Tesco Digital will offer a catalogue of 3.3 million songs, with film, TV show and game downloads also expected to be made available.
Graham Harris, Tesco’s commercial director said: “We’re starting out with a comprehensive music offering, but customers can expect downloadable TV and films as well as games to buy very soon.”
The company is retiring its existing Windows Media-based music download service in order to make its wares available DRM-free, playable on any computer or device.
A Tesco spokesman said that downloads would be “competitively priced.” 1.6 million of its 3.3 million tracks will be made available in MP3 format initially.
Harris observes: “Our music offering is just the start of an exciting journey for our customers-it really is a case of watch this space.”