"As seen on TV" is a generic phrase for products advertised on television in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

for directresponse mail-order through a

toll-free telephone number A toll-free telephone number or freephone number is a telephone number that is billed for all arriving calls. For the calling party, a call to a toll-free number is free of charge, unless air-charges apply for mobile telephone service. A toll-free ...

. ''As Seen on TV'' advertisements, known as

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 ...

s, are usually 30-minute shows or two-minute spots during commercial breaks. These products can range from kitchen, household, automotive, cleaning, health, beauty, and pet care products, to exercise and fitness products, books, or to toys and games for children. Typically, the packaging for these items includes a red seal in the shape of a

CRT television CRT or Crt most commonly refers to: * Cathode-ray tube, a display * Critical race theory, an academic framework of analysis CRT may also refer to: Law * Charitable trust#charitable remainder trust, Charitable remainder trust, United States * Ci ...

screen with the words "AS SEEN ON TV" in white. Prominent marketers of ''As seen on TV'' products include As Seen on TV, Inc.,

Time Life Time Life, Inc. (also habitually represented with a hyphen as Time-Life, Inc., even by the company itself) was an American multi-media conglomerate company formerly known as a prolific production/publishing company and direct marketeer seller ...

, Space Bag,

K-tel K-tel International Ltd is a Canadian company which formerly specialized in selling consumer products through infomercials and live demonstration. Its products include compilation music albums, including ''The Super Hits'' series, ''The Dynamic ...

Ronco HD Schulman International Trading LLC, doing business as Ronco, is an American company that manufactures and sells kitchen appliances. Ron Popeil founded the company in 1964, and infomercials for the company's products quickly made Ronco a hous ...

, and Thane. There are also retail

brick and mortar Brick and mortar (or B&M) is an organization or business with a physical presence in a building or other structure. The term ''brick-and-mortar business'' is often used to refer to a company that possesses or leases retail shops, factory produc ...

and online stores that specifically sell ''As seen on TV'' products. In 1996, "As seen on TV" then moved on to retail, according to A. J. Khubani, CEO of

Telebrands BulbHead (formerly known as Telebrands) is an American direct response marketing company, and the original creator of the "As Seen On TV" logo and category of trade. History The company's CEO A. J. Khubani started the company in 1983, creati ...

, who designed the logo. ''As seen on TV'' products then moved on to sell on the internet. In 2015, a new ''As seen on TV'' corporation was formed and launched as a multi-vendor marketplace, allowing manufacturers and sellers of TV products to sell their inventory through its website New Easy. The red logo and phrase is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

and can be used on packaging or in business with no fee and without trademark infringement. Companies that produce generic versions of ''As seen on TV'' products may use a modified version of the red logo, their version displaying "Like on TV" or "As seen on TV in some countries". This logo can be registered in some countries like a trademark.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:As Seen On Tv American inventions American television commercials Marketing companies of the United States Television advertising Television terminology

See also

References