IBuy

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The correct title of this article is iBuy. The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions.


iBuy
Launched	April 2005
Owned by	IAC/InterActiveCorp
Audience share	? (?, Source:[1])
Availability
Terrestrial
Freeview	Channel 35 (9am-noon)
Satellite
Sky Digital	Channel 207 (9am-noon)
	Channel 631
	Channel 632

iBuy is a British satellite-based home shopping channel.

Created & launched on the 18 April 2005, by Andy Sheldon, who was one of George Spitaliotis's senior management figures at Auction World.tv and created their sister channel Chase-It.tv.

iBuy TV launched from the ex-AuctionWorld studio at Teddington Studios, Broom Road, Teddington. It was later relocated in early 2006, to Studio 1, Unit 1A, Hogarth Business Park, Burlington Lane, Chiswick, London. iBuy TV operates as a falling price auction channel, similar to that of the 'original' auction shopping channel idea bid tv, price-drop tv, and airs between 9am and 12am, 7 days a week on Sky, and between 9am and 12pm on Freeview and NTL (part of Five US).

iBuy2 broadcasts 7 days a week on Sky 632 between 12pm and 11pm, also broadcasting live falling price auctions from a separate studio, which was the home of the now closed HSN owned quiz channel Quiz TV.

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 Three Welcome To My World documentary "Porno, preachers and peadlers" alongside Television X, Girl Fever and Relevation TV.

1 Criticism
2 Presenters
- 2.1 Former presenters
3 External links

[edit] Criticism

[edit] Possible Links to Auction World.tv?

iBuy was launched shortly after the collapse of Auction World.tv, and features many Auction World similarities namely in channel ideas, products, contacts and employees. [2] [3]

Andy Sheldon: Head of On Air at AW - now involved at iBuy, as the Head of Broadcasting.
Tim Cochran: Company Director at AW - now involved at iBuy
Sandy Sandcaster: Operations Director and George Spitaliotis' partner at AW - now involved at iBuy
Simon Stedman: Customer Services manager at AW - now involved at iBuy

iBuy also launched with most of the production and floor staff from AW, as well as initially using AW's Studio, Production Office & Warehouse at Teddington.

However, iBuy is not from the same company that created auction-world.tv. It is owned by US Home Shopping Company HSN, whose parent company are competitors with the QVC network in the USA.

The Auction World links have stemmed from the channel being set up by Andy Sheldon and Adam Freeman, both long term friends and ex-auction world employees. Who after the collaspe of Auction World, found new monetary backers, and decided to create iBuy TV and used the redundent auction-world.tv employees, products, contacts and studio equipment.

[edit] Dropped 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 has also been suggested on a number of media sites, that NTL decided to drop the iBuy Shopping Channel from its cable platform due to some financial problems at the HSN financed iBuy TV. Although these allegations are still unproven.

[edit] More Unscruplous Connections?

Early October 2006, presenter Debbie Flint has been involved on the iBuy channel. The same presenter who was directly involved with Paul Lavers in setting up, and presenting on the shopping channel One TV.

One TV recently had its broadcast licence revoked by Ofcom, after it failed to pay its fee. The One TV channel had previously been under investigation from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after a number of viewers complained that orders had not been fulfilled and refunds equalling to thousands of pounds had not been returned.