Shopping Channel Announces Move to New Purpose Built Studios

The Shopping Channel Announces Move to New Purpose Built Studios, As Nielsen Confirms Continuing Growth In Viewership

AUCKLAND, 30 May 2013 – The Shopping Channel, New Zealand’s first and only dedicated TV Home Shopping channel, today announced the move to new expanded studio facilities in Ruru Street, Eden Terrace, central Auckland. The purpose built studio, a converted warehouse, will be operational from 4 June 2013. It will be the first to be completely owned and operated by The Shopping Channel since its launch in October 2012, and follows sustained growth in cumulative viewership through this year.

Owner of The Shopping Channel, Greg Partington says it makes sense to invest now in greater broadcasting and production capabilities for the company. “For our initial start-up phase, we decided early on to use third party studio broadcasting facilities. But after eight months on air, viewership continuing to climb, and the number of products available for sale on the channel increasing every day, we are now in a more robust position to make an investment in our own production facilities.”

The latest Nielsen ratings show consecutive monthly increases this year in cumulative viewership for The Shopping Channel, with April up 14% on March, which was 22% up on February.

“We have learnt a lot in the last eight months, developing a great deal of expertise in television retailing. We are constantly re-evaluating and tweaking the business model to make the company viable, as we concentrate on maximising revenues from a more efficient cost base. In particular, we have a deeper understanding of the powerful causality between demonstration selling on television and purchasing both from our call centre and online store. There's an art to this, and we've had to learn it the hard way."

“As a result of these insights, we will be launching 150 specially selected new products in the next two months. The Shopping Channel is now attracting international brands to New Zealand including Canada's Ice Paradise diamonds from the Arctic, America's sellout Rhonda Sheer shapewear and Inika Cosmetics from the UK. The new studio will turbocharge The Shopping Channel business, enhancing our ability to produce high volume television content to promote the increasing number of products on the channel,” says Partington.   

In addition, the company will commence searching for a new chief executive as founding CEO, Alistair Duff, announces his decision to move on after a year at the helm. Mr Duff says he is proud of what The Shopping Channel has achieved in its first eight months on air, and with the business changing from selling media to retail, he has decided that the time is right to take on a new challenge. 

Duff says “the new studio facilities will clearly take The Shopping Channel to a new level. It has been an exhilarating ride, and I will continue to keep a close eye on the company from the sidelines, as it no doubt grows from strength to strength.”

Greg Partington says “Al has done a great job as our first CEO, working with us to take The Shopping Channel through its launch phase. He will be missed, and we wish him the very best in his next venture. The company has begun the search for a new CEO."

About The Shopping Channel

Launched in October 2012, The Shopping Channel is New Zealand’s first and only dedicated retailing TV channel, available on Channel 18 on both Sky TV and Freeview HD, with products sold on the e-commerce platform at www.shoppingchannel.co.nz.

The Shopping Channel content is broadcast on the TV3 network for one hour each morning at 10am, five days a week, while content is broadcast to Australian homes on channel 64 in the Prime 7 viewing area, and channel 75 in the Seven Network viewing area.

For more information go to www.shoppingchannel.co.nz, check out The Shopping Channel on Facebook, and follow on Twitter @shopping_nz.

ENDS

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