Wikipedia

iBuy

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iBuy is a British satellite-based home shopping channel.

iBuy
Ownership
OwnerIAC/InterActiveCorp

Launched on the 18 April 2005, from the ex-AuctionWorld studio at Teddington Studios, Broom Road, Teddington. It was later relocated in early 2006, to Studio 1, Hogarth Business Park, Burlington Lane, Chiswick, London. iBuy TV operates as a falling price auction channel, similar to that of Bid-up TV, Choices UK and Price-drop TV, and runs from nine in the morning till midnight, 7 days a week.

iBuy2 broadcasts 7 days a week on Sky 632 between 3pm and 6pm, also broadcasting live falling price auctions from a separate studio.

iBuy Unique broadcasts every day during iBuy's off-air hours, on Sky 631 from 12 midnight to 9am and on Sky 632 from 12 midnight to 3pm, and then from 6pm onwards. iBuy Unique operates on the similar "original" channel idea of the HSN financed Bid2Win where the 'Lowest Unique Bid' auction, where bidders are invited to place a bid by phone, by SMS text message or online at www.ibuyunique.tv. However this is an auction with a difference, as only one person can win. For example, if two bids are placed, at 1p and 2p, 1p is the currently the lowest unique bid, however if someone else comes in with a bid of 1p, 1p is no longer a valid bid, and therefore 2p is now the lowest unique bid.

On iBuy TV, viewers are invited to bid in 'Freefall' Auctions by picking up their landline phone or mobile phone and dialling the number on screen, or logging onto the iBuy website at www.ibuy.tv and bidding online. The price of the item up for auction falls until all the quantity is sold, and at the end of the auction (when the quantity is sold out,) everyone pays the lowest price.

iBuy was the subject of the BBC 3 Welcome To My World documentary "Porno, preachers and peadlers" alongside Television X, Girl Fever and Relevation TV.

Criticism

iBuy was launched after the collapse of Auction World.tv, and features many similarities [1]

  • Andy Sheldon: Head of On Air at AW - now running iBuy
  • Tim Cochran: Company Director at AW - now running iBuy
  • Sandy Sandcaster: Operations Director and George Spitaliotis partner at AW - now running iBuy
  • Simon Stedman: Customer Services manager at AW - now running iBuy
  • Teddington Warehouse of AW - now warehouse of iBuy

iBuy also launched with most of the production and floor staff from AW, as well as initially using AW's Studio and production office

Droped by NTL

On 28 August, 2006 Britain's biggest digital cable outlet NTL made the decision to drop the iBuy channel from its platform. Prior to termination, iBuy complained to UK regulators that NTL, which owns competitor sit-up Limited, owner of channels bid TV, price-drop TV and speed auction TV, was abusing its dominant position in the cable market. Both the UK Office of Fair Trading and Ofcom declined to take any action due to a ‘lack of resources’ and 'unproven accusations' made by iBuy TV. It's also widely believed and also reported by some internet media websites, that in fact NTL dropping the iBuy shopping channel is purely due to the iBuy shopping channel running into financial problems. However this has NOT been proved.

Presenters

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