QVC, the leading television shopping channel in the United Kingdom, will use Ensequence on-Q software tools to deliver the next generation of its QVC Active service on Sky as it extends its commitment to interactive television.
QVC in the UK, which currently uses systems from News Corporation company NDS to deliver interactive teleshopping services, has chosen to use Ensequence software and professional services for future applications, following an evaluation of available alternatives.
“We closely evaluated the interactive TV technologies available, and in our opinion Ensequence clearly has the most appropriate technology for authoring, broadcasting and controlling QVC’s on-air interactive TV applications,” said Richard Burrell, director of engineering and new media at QVC in London.
The contract with Ensequence includes a licence for their on-Q Create authoring suite, on-Q Air playout management software, plus systems integration and support.
Among the benefits cited are the flexibility to change the ‘shop window’ to showcase available products on a daily or even hourly service. The new service will provide a rich video shopping environment. Development is already underway but it is not expected to launch until the second half of 2007.
Aslam Khader, responsible for marketing and strategy at Ensequence, told informitv that they were seeing the emergence of “ITV 2.0” with a move “from bespoke applications to the use of toolsets that provide greater flexibility and give control to the creatives”.
QVC UK has offered an interactive television shopping service on the BSkyB digital satellite platform since 2000. It is part of an international company with 16,000 staff.
QVC, which is part of Liberty Media Corporation, was founded in the United States in 1986 and is currently evolving its interactive strategy there. The UK company is operated as an independent business unit, but its experience with Ensequence will no doubt be followed closely by colleagues in America.