BlinkBox ramps up senior team
Blinkbox has appointed Facebook’s European head of retail as it bolsters the senior management team ahead of the launch of its rebranded ebooks and digital music services.
Gavin Sathianathan joins from Facebook to take on the newly created role of managing director for Blinkboxbooks, the new name for its ebooks platform Mobcast.
Tesco has also poached the head of rival Sainsbury’s digital entertainment division Mark Bennett to head up Blinkboxmusic, previously WE7. Bennett has also worked at Microsoft, HMV, Warner and EMI.
Former Blinkbox director of advertising and sponsorship Scott Deutrom will become managing director of Clubcard TV, Tesco’s free ad supported movie and TV service for Clubcard members.
Marketing Week revealed Tesco’s plans to rebrand all its digital entertainment services under the Blinkbox brand last year.
Tesco bought a majority stake in video-on-demand service Blinkbox in April 2011. It launched its first major advertising campaign in November to clarify its position in the cluttered movie streaming market. The supermarket acquired music streaming platform WE7 in June last year and ebook platform Mobcast in September.
Michael Comish, CEO of Tesco Digital Entertainment, says: “The development of these new services demonstrates our total commitment to providing the very best entertainment as easily as possible for our customers. They allow us to provide even more choice in how customers buy and enjoy their entertainment.
Sathianathan adds: “Technology is changing how people read. Offering a digital book service is an example of what Tesco does best – focussing on the customer and anticipating their needs as the market evolves. It’s a great time to join a team at the vanguard of this shift.”
