The Home Shopping Network, St. Petersburg, FL, has launched a new division, Short Shopping, to produce direct-selling commercials for targeted audiences of various broadcast and cable networks.
Short Shopping will enable broadcasters and cable-TV companies to create their own brand of electronic retailing that can be used during available commercial inventory or as part of a scheduled program or event, HSN said.
The network also named David Williams as senior vice president of the new unit.
HSN said that networks using Short Shopping will be able to sell relevant products directly to their target audiences. The DRTV company will provide product sourcing, a call center and order fulfillment. HSN said these spots will provide incremental revenue above what would normally be earned for those spots on a commercial advertising basis.
Short Shopping began initial testing six months ago and has had several successful partnerships with broadcasters, including TBS SuperStation, USA Network and The Sci-Fi Channel. In a partnership with TBS SuperStation, a dedicated audience watching the UAW-GM Quality 500 race from Charlotte was able to purchase exclusive merchandise through the TBS SuperShop.
“With the rising costs of original programming, networks have been challenged to pursue new avenues of generating revenue,” HSN president Mark Bozek, said in a statement. “Short Shopping allows the networks to realize incremental revenue without the financial investment or risk associated with electronic retailing.”
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