Ideal World

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Ideal World

Launched	16 April 2000
Owned by	Ideal Shopping Direct Plc
Picture format	576i (SDTV)
Country	United Kingdom
Sister channel(s)	Ideal Vitality, Create and Craft
Website	idealworld.tv
Availability
Freeview	Channel 22
Satellite
Sky Digital	Channel 634
Cable
Virgin Media	Channel 747

Ideal World is a shopping channel in the UK owned by Ideal Shopping Direct Plc, ^[1] whose sister shopping channels include Ideal Vitality and Create and Craft. They also sell flowers through their Ideal Flowers website in partnership with Flowers Direct.^[2] The channel broadcasts from its studios in Peterborough. Ideal World currently broadcasts live 16 hours a day, with Ideal Vitality and Create and Craft being mostly pre-recorded. The company currently employs in excess of 500 people.

1 History
2 Current Presenters
3 Former Presenters
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

Founded in the 1980s as a mail order company selling products via national press adverts and consumer exhibitions, the company was then called Wrightway Marketing and was run by Paul Wright and his business partner, Val Kaye. The company later produced its own catalogues, inserted into the Daily Mail, and sold at the Ideal Home exhibition.

In 1999, land was bought in Peterborough with a view to building premises to serve as live TV studios, offices, warehouse, and call centre. Ideal World was launched on 17 April 2000 on digital satellite broadcasting 24 hours a day. A pre-launch documentary was recorded by a documentary team from Channel 4, charting the channel's launch onto Sky and featuring the main management of the time and the Presentation team of Paul Lavers, Debbie Flint and Steve Whatley, and was called "Telly Sales".

Ideal's motto of "Family, Friendship and Fun" which was used to launch the TV channel, and is still used to this day, was personified by the on-screen behaviour of its presenting team. Broadcasting live for just a few hours a day at Launch, the less authoritative and more casual look, feel and style of the channel was well received by the viewing public. At a time when QVC still had very little competition except for the Infomercials, this much more relaxed, warmer and friendlier style of traditional TV shopping appealed to many, and has now precipitated down into the other offerings that launch later, such as bid-up.tv (now Bid TV) and its sister channels. As well as the Launch team, the viewership were introduced to stalwart presenters Shaun Ryan and Ellis Ward (of You Bet fame), as well as some other familiar presenters and guests from elsewhere in Shopping TV. The chanel also featured Ali Paton, better known as Siren from ITV's 'Gladiators' series.

On 6 March 2001, the facility at Peterborough was completely destroyed by fire. The channel was back broadcasting within from weeks from various temporary facilities while the main building was rebuilt. The main building was not fully operational until September 2002.

As the television side of the business re-grew, sales in the catalogue business slowed down and became insignificant in their contribution to the company, and the catalogue business was wound down in order to fully concentrate on selling on TV. A catalogue-style website, Ideal World Essentials, was produced for a short time featuring essential products for the home; this has since been closed and now links back to Ideal World itself.

On 18 April 2003, Create and Craft was launched with the website following on 23 August 2003. It is now possible to Join the Create and Craft Club to receive discounts on spends at the site, amongst other benefits and priveleges. Ideal often rebroadcasts live Craft shows onto Create and Craft under the Ideal World name.

1 January 2004 saw the launch of Ideal Vitality. This was originally a channel from Goldshield, "Goldshield Vitality", for which Ideal Shopping Direct provided the studio recording and broadcast facilities, however at the end of 2003 Goldshield pulled out of the venture. Ideal Shopping now broadcast a similar channel focusing on health and beauty products from Ideal's range, under the 'Vitality' name. Vitality often rebroadcasts Ideal World when the most popular products are being shown. At May 26^th 2008, Ideal Vitality is currently showing highlights from past Ideal World shows 24-7, although as yet, a rebrand has not yet been confirmed and the channel is still known as "Vitality" on the Sky EPG.

Although they are both pre-recorded in the cast majority, both Create and Craft and Vitality now offer live programming a couple of times a week at various times of the day.

On 23 April 2004, Ideal World began broadcasting on Freeview channel 22 which massively increased potential customer base and drove business growth in the next couple of years, and meaning that come digital switch-over, any home with a TV will be able to tune into Ideal World and purchase products!

Jewellery Vault, a falling-auction style jewellery channel was launched on 1 July 2005 broadcasting live 5pm-1am and subsequently closed in July 2006 due to it not covering its operating costs.

On 3 November 2007, the Ideal World Outlet in the Rivergate Centre, Peterborough, was opened by Shaun Ryan and Debbie Shore. Ideal World Outlet is Ideal's first 'traditional' shop, where end-of-line items and customer returns are sold at further discounts. A special 'Pick of the Day' item is shown at an extra reduction, in the same vain as the TV channel, although it is not the same product. Ideal World is broadcast on LCD screens in the store.^[3]

Ideal World and its sister channels are shortly to move as part of Sky's EPG reshuffle. All three channels will be moving up the EPG ten places - Ideal World will be on channel 644, Create and Craft will appear on Sky 671, and Vitality will move to 668.

Ideal World has also agreed to re-broadcast Smart Live Casino in its downtime hours, from 1am to 3am, on its Freeview Slot, channel 22, allowing the Roulette broadcaster access to a wider Freeview audience.