QVC (UK)
 |
This article appears to be written like an advertisement. Please help improve it by rewriting promotional content from a neutral point of view and removing any inappropriate external links. (October 2010) |
 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. (Consider using more specific cleanup instructions.) Please help improve this article if you can. The talk page may contain suggestions. (October 2010) |
| QVC | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Launched | 1 October 1993 |
| Owned by | QVC |
| Sister channel(s) | QVC Beauty |
| Website | www.qvcuk.com |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Freeview | Channel 16 |
| Satellite | |
| Sky | Channel 640 |
| Freesat | Channel 800 |
| Cable | |
| Virgin Media | Channel 740 |
| UPC Ireland | Channel 505 |
| Smallworld Cable | Channel 701 |
| Internet television | |
| QVC UK Online | Watch live |
| TVCatchup | Watch live (UK only) |
QVC UK is a digital television shopping channel broadcast in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1993 when QVC, Inc. formed a deal with Sky TV to create a UK version of the US channel. "QVC — The Shopping Channel" first broadcast in the UK on 1 October 1993. QVC UK - 20% owned by Sky - moved into profit after five years of broadcasting. In 1998, it turned its first net profit (£12.5 million), against a loss of £228,000 in 1997.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
The United States channel was formed in West Chester, Pennsylvania. It is a multinational corporation, specialising in televised home shopping. It was founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel. QVC broadcasts in five countries to 141 million consumers. The name is an initialism—standing for "Quality, Value, Convenience. However, unlike in the USA, this initialism is no longer used on air in the UK.
[edit] Operation in the UK
The UK company became a wholly owned subsidiary of the US broadcaster since 2004.[2] The UK operation operates from two sites. With the company's lease on Marco Polo House, southLondon's Battersea set to expire on July 2012.[3], the company's UK HQ and studio centre was set to move to Chiswick Park, a 'campus'-style development on the site of a derelict London Transport bus depot in West London on an unspecified date in 2012.[4] Its centre and distribution warehouse had moved to Kirkby, in Knowsley, on Merseyside, in 1998 from Liverpool's Harrington Dock. The company has outlet stores in Warrington and Shrewsbury.
The broadcaster planned to launch a high definition channel on the Sky and Freesat satellite platforms in 2012. Broadcasts on the Freeview digital terrestrial platform would not follow suit because of that system's lack of capacity, the company said in 2010[5] In June 2011, it was reported that QVC UK had begun carrying out trials of 3D broadcasting. This was merely an experiment, a spokesperson said.[6]
The channel broadcasts live 17 hours a day (the remainder being repeated content) year round. QVC UK claims a market penetration of 15.4 million homes on the cable, satellite, and digital terrestrial TV. The satellite 'footprint' also takes in much of western Europe. Retail sales for the year 2008 reached £360+ million. Since 2010, QVC UK's programming is also carried by the ITV1 network in England and Wales in the early hours of the morning as part of ITV's overnight The Zone programming block.
On 26 October 2010 a second channel was launched in the UK, QVC Beauty, available to viewers of Freeview, Sky and Freesat.[7]
[edit] QVC Active
QVC Active is an interactive television service made accessible using the red button on QVC UK's cable, Sky and digital terrestrial services. Across each enhanced television platform, QVC provides information including a 24 hour TV Guide, best selling products of that day and an ability for the viewer to interact with QVC UK's inventory. Customers viewing the Sky and cable TV platforms can buy products using their set-top box.
In 2008 QVC UK launched a multiscreen video service accessible via the interactive television layer, making four video streams available to Sky viewers via the red button:
- QVC Live
- QVC +1 (a time delayed service)
- Today's Special Value presentation
- QVC Beauty, also a separate channel on Freeview, Sky and Freesat.
[edit] Products
QVC organises its product range in to eight distinct categories:
- beauty
- fashion and accessories
- jewellery
- craft and leisure
- for the home
- home electronics
- garden and DIY
- clearance
[edit] Presenters
- Alex Kramer
- Alison Keenan
- Alison Young
- Anna Cookson
- Anne Dawson
- Carmel Thomas
- Catherine Huntley
- Charlie Brook
- Claire Sutton
- Craig Rowe
- Dale Franklin
- Debbie Flint
- Debbie Greenwood
- Glen Campbell
- Jill Franks
- Jilly Halliday
- Julia Roberts
- Julian Ballantyne
- Kathy Tayler
- Miceal Murphy
- Orlando Khota
- Pipa Vanderburg
- Richard Jackson
- Sara G
- Simon Biagi
[edit] Past presenters
- Anthony Heywood
- Claudia Sylvester
- Harry Greene
- Jon Briggs
- Kara Tritton
- Katy John
- Paul Lavers
- Rob Locke
- Sophia Barnes (Face of Diamonique 2009-2010)
- Steve Whatley
- Suzanne Evett
[edit] References
- ^ QVC UK Moves into Profit, Broadcast, London, 21 May 1999.Accessed 7 January 2011.
- ^ Sky sells QVC stake for £49m, 29 February, Digital Worldz.Accessed 13 August 2011.
- ^ QVC to move to Chiswick Park, Robin Parker, Broadcast magazine, 27 July 2010.Accessed 13 August 2011.
- ^ We act for QVC on Chiswick Park move, Bond Pearce property consultancy's corporate website, Undated.Accessed 13 August 2011.
- ^ QVC reflects on UK DTT, Chris Dziadul, Broadband TV News, 7 September 2010.Accessed 13 August 2011.
- ^ QVC Shopping Channel Experimenting With 3D, 3dfocus.co.uk, 6 June 2011.Accessed 13 August 2011.
- ^ "Freeview/ Home/ Channels/ Lifestyle/ QVC Beauty". Freeview (UK). http://www.freeview.co.uk/Channels/Lifestyle/QVC-Beauty. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
