Tesco promotes Blinkbox founder to strengthen digital offer
Tesco has promoted the Michael Comish, the founder of its video on demand platform Blinkbox, to the new role of group digital officer as it looks to strengthen its multichannel and entertainment offer to take on the likes of Amazon and Apple as well as rival supermarkets.
Comish’s role has been elevated to look after Tesco’s entire multi-channel strategy, leading a team that will be responsible for developing a more “customer-led approach” to new online products and services.
He will continue to head up the launches for Tesco’s online books and music services, following the supermarket’s acquisitions of digital music platform We7 and digital book business Mobcast last year. Tesco acquired Blinkbox in 2011.
His team of roughly 350 staff will sit in Tesco’s new central London “digital campus”, which will open this Autumn. Ahead of Comish’s appointment, CMO Matt Atkinson was Tesco’s most senior digital executive but now his responsibilities are being shared.
Comish co-founded Blinkbox in 2006. Prior to that he co-founded online video company AtomFilms, which merged with Shockwave.com to create AtomShockwave. The business was subsequently sold to MTV-owner Viacom for $200m in 2006.
Between 2002 and 2005, Comish held the role of managing director of 4 Services at Channel 4.
In November this year Tesco rebranded all its digital entertainment platforms under the Blinkbox name as it looked to strengthen its position in the market under an already-existing brand.
Rival Sainsbury’s is also growing its offering in the area, having recently acquired e-book business Anobii under the Sainsbury’s Entertainment brand.
Tesco’s sales slipped back into decline in its first quarter as the horse meat scandal hit performance, but the supermarket claimed multichannel moves are helping improve customer perception of the supermarket.
