Tesco has announced the closure of its free online video streaming service Clubcard TV. Offered to customers with free Tesco Clubcard accounts, the service provided access to movies and television shows, including The Smurfs and Speed Racer.

However, citing a lack of viewers, the brand is to close it to focus on the Tesco-owned Blinkbox TV streaming service instead.

"We’ve learnt a lot since launching Clubcard TV in March 2013 and whilst many enjoyed our free service, we weren’t getting the level of repeat usage we had hoped for," the company said on its support site.

"You can still access entertainment through Blinkbox Movies which offers the latest blockbuster films and hit TV shows without subscription. You can rent or buy and watch instantly on loads of devices."

Clubcard TV will close fully on 28 October. You will no longer be able to watch content on the site from then.

The timing of the shutdown might seem odd, but Tesco is about to unveil its follow-up to last year's hugely successful Hudl tablet, the Hudl 2, on 3 October. Expected to have an 8-inch display this time around, it is likely that the UK supermarket chain will want owners to subscribe to Blinkbox rather than highlight a free service instead.

READ: What to expect from the Tesco Hudl 2: How the magic 8-ball invite reveals all

Tesco isn't scrapping the use of Clubcard for streaming content entirely though, it will still give Clubcard points on purchases from Blinkbox Movies.