Granada And Littlewoods Plan Home Shopping Channel

Granada Media Group (GMG) and Littlewoods have reached an agreement to create a jointly operated TV home shopping company. The as yet unnamed company is expected to begin broadcasting in Autumn this year on digital terrestrial, digital satellite, digital cable and analogue cable. The digital terrestrial broadcast will feature as part of British Digital Broadcasting’s 15-channel package launched jointly by GMG and Carlton Communications.

The deal is set to develop the facilities for interactive home shopping, a much-touted benefit of digital cable television. The service will make use of Littlewoods’ product catalogue as well as new product ranges created by the joint venture company.

Charles Allen, chief executive of Granada Group plc, commented: “I am very pleased that Granada Media Group will be partnering Littlewoods in this exciting new venture. We have already demonstrated our ability to create successful new pay television channels and starting a new home shopping channel is a logical next step in developing our growing pay television interests.”

In its UK Home Shopping Revolution report, published in October 1997, Dresdner Kleinwort Benson projected that annual television home shopping sales would top £1 billion by 2003, and rise to £12 billion by 2009.

Granada Media Group: 0171 261 3949 Littlewoods Organisation: 0151 235 3368