Shopping channels (also referred to in British English as teleshopping) are television programs or specialty channels dedicated to home shopping. These channels typically feature live presentations and product demonstrations, with on-air hosts and spokespeople delivering a sales pitch. Viewers are provided with instructions on how to order the featured products. Shopping channels may focus on mainstream merchandise such as clothing,

consumer electronics Consumer electronics, also known as home electronics, are electronic devices intended for everyday household use. Consumer electronics include those used for entertainment, Communication, communications, and recreation. Historically, these prod ...

, and household goods, or on more niche categories like collectibles, high-end fashion, and jewelry. The term may also refer to channels that exclusively broadcast direct-response advertising and

infomercial An infomercial is a form of television commercial that resembles regular TV programming yet is intended to promote or sell a product, service or idea. It generally includes a toll-free telephone number or website. Most often used as a form of di ...

content.

History

The concept of shopping channels was first popularized in the United States during the 1980s, when Lowell "Bud" Paxson and Roy Speer launched a local cable channel called the Home Shopping Club, which later expanded nationally as the

Home Shopping Network HSN, Inc. an initialism of its former name Home Shopping Network, is an American free-to-air television network owned by the QVC Group (formerly Qurate Retail Group), which also owns Catalog merchant, catalog company Cornerstone Brands. It is ...

(HSN). It soon faced competition from

QVC QVC (short for "Quality Value Convenience") is an American free-to-air television network and a flagship shopping channel specializing in televised Shopping channel, home shopping, owned by QVC Group (formerly Qurate Retail Group). Founded in 19 ...

, which eventually acquired HSN in 2017. Another competitor, the Shop at Home Network, had its assets sold by Scripps to

Jewelry Television Jewelry Television is an American television network specializing in the sale of jewelry. On-air and online, the network is mainly branded by its jtv initials in small caps, lower-case letters. It has an estimated reach of more than 80 million ...

(JTV) in 2006, which merged its operations with JTV and aired Shop at Home as a block during

prime time Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

and late-night hours. ShopHQ, another U.S.-based shopping network, was at one point partly owned by

NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and Trade name, doing business as NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media and Show business, entertainment conglomerate (comp ...

and co-branded as "ShopNBC." However, NBCU sold its stake back to ValueVision, the majority owner, in 2013. Initially reliant on telephone ordering, home shopping channels have increasingly emphasized

online shopping Online shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser or a mobile app. Consumers find a product of interest by visiting the website of th ...

to compete with online-only retailers, while distinguishing themselves with on-air sales pitches and exclusive offers. In 2015, QVC acquired the online retailer Zulily to strengthen its digital presence. Notable shopping channels outside the U.S. include TV Shop and QVC UK in Europe, The Shopping Channel in New Zealand, Momo in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, Shop TV in the Philippines, and TSC in Canada.

References

Non-store retailing {{television-stub