Sky has announced a new Buy & Keep service, which will let anyone using the Sky Store to buy digital copies of films keep their downloads for life - then pop a physical copy in the post for anyone wanting something to put on a shelf, rather than store on a hard disk.

According to Sky Store director Nicola Bamford, “time and time again customers says they like the immediacy (of digital downloads) but having the original there for the peace of mind. We know there are millions of people still buying DVDs.”

The new service will keep both digital converts and fans of physical media happy, as they get to keep both versions for life, for one price. Older titles will cost £7.99, with new releases costing £13.99. DVDs will be dispatched in around five working days from the point of buying a digital copy.

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Buy & Keep won't cover the entire Sky Store catalogue at launch, which at the time of writing included over 1,400 titles. Instead it will arrive with a smaller selection of 200 films, with deals secured with 20th Century Fox, NBC, Universal and Warner Brothers. There are plans to add TV box sets to the service in the future.

Existing Sky customers with Sky+HD boxes will be the first to access the new service when it arrives "in the coming weeks". The newly refreshed EPG will be updated with the new service soon.

Buy & Keep should then roll out to Sky's smartphone and tablet apps later in the year, and eventually be made available to anyone, whether they have a Sky subscription or not - which could provide Amazon's Disc+ service with some much needed competition.

Not sure which TV service to pick? Read our comprehensive Virgin Media TiVo vs Sky+HD feature