Gems TV

Gems TV was a German television shopping channel focused on jewelry and related products. The channel operated through GemsTV Germany GmbH and was associated with Channel 21, which served as its parent company. It was based in Grünwald near Munich and represented a German-market adaptation of the Gems TV retailing model used in the United Kingdom. The channel began broadcasting on 1 October 2012 and was distributed for approximately two and a half months. Its principal satellite distribution was through Astra at 19.2° east, with programming transmitted for 20 hours per day. During the period from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Gems TV also used the frequencies of Channel 21. The service therefore combined a dedicated satellite presence with access to an established German teleshopping distribution channel. Gems TV’s offer consisted of jewelry presented directly on air. Its selling format was based on the product being available for purchase while it was being demonstrated by a presenter. The pricing mechanism resembled a descending auction, in which the price could fall during the presentation. Under German broadcasting law, however, this was described as “purchase against bid” rather than an auction, because conventional auctions were not permitted on German television. This format distinguished Gems TV from larger German teleshopping broadcasters such as HSE24 and QVC, where products could generally remain available for purchase after their television presentation. It was closer in operating logic to the format associated with 1-2-3.tv. The German venture was not the first attempt to establish Gems TV in the country. A previous German Gems TV operation under a new owner had ultimately been merged with Juwelo TV. The later Channel 21-backed service also failed to achieve its commercial objectives. On 18 December 2012, Gems TV ended broadcasting because its sales targets had not been met. Its brief operating period and closure make it an example of the challenges faced by specialized television-shopping services seeking sufficient audience scale and sales volume in Germany.

Gems TV’s German operation was established as a jewelry-focused teleshopping service operated by GemsTV Germany GmbH. The business was linked to Channel 21 and was based in Grünwald near Munich. Its concept followed the broader Gems TV model used in the United Kingdom: jewelry was presented by on-air moderators, and viewers could place orders during the limited presentation window. The German channel started broadcasting on 1 October 2012. Its primary distribution route was Astra satellite transmission at the 19.2° east orbital position, where it broadcast for 20 hours each day. It also occupied Channel 21 frequencies between 6:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. This arrangement gave the service access to a recognized German shopping-channel platform while allowing Gems TV to maintain its own jewelry-oriented identity. The channel’s retail mechanism was a prominent part of its identity. A product could be purchased only while it was being presented by the moderator. The pricing process resembled a descending auction, with the price falling during the presentation. In Germany, the format was legally characterized as “Kauf gegen Gebot,” or purchase against bid, rather than an auction, because television auctions were not permitted. This helped distinguish Gems TV from generalist teleshopping services such as HSE24 and QVC, where products could normally continue to be ordered after the presentation had ended. Its format was more comparable to 1-2-3.tv. The 2012 launch followed an earlier unsuccessful attempt to operate Gems TV in Germany. That prior service, under a new owner, was eventually merged with Juwelo TV. The later Channel 21-affiliated venture therefore represented a renewed effort to establish a Gems-branded jewelry shopping channel in the German market. The second attempt was also short-lived. Gems TV discontinued its German operation on 18 December 2012, only a little more than two months after launch. The stated reason was that the channel had not achieved its sales targets. No further operating history is documented in the supplied reference material. The service is consequently best understood as a defunct, highly specialized television retailer whose principal differentiators were jewelry specialization, limited-time purchasing, and a descending-price presentation format.

• 2012

  German channel begins broadcasting

  [1]Gems TV (German TV channel)en.wikipedia.org

  Gems TV began broadcasting on 1 October 2012 from Grünwald near Munich, using Astra satellite distribution and selected Channel 21 frequencies.

• 2012

  German operation closes

  [1]Gems TV (German TV channel)en.wikipedia.org

  Gems TV discontinued its German service on 18 December 2012 after failing to meet its sales targets.

A specialized German teleshopping channel built around presenter-led jewelry sales and a descending-price purchase-against-bid format.

• Jewelry · 2012

  Gems TV jewelry

  The channel’s merchandise consisted of jewelry of various kinds, presented and sold through live or scheduled television demonstrations. Products were available for purchase during the relevant on-air presentation rather than as a permanently accessible general retail catalog. The sales format used a falling-price, purchase-against-bid mechanism intended to create urgency around each televised item.

• 2012

  Adoption of a limited-time descending-price sales formatStrategy

  Background

  Gems TV entered Germany as a specialized jewelry channel rather than a general merchandise teleshopping service. Its operating model followed the Gems TV approach associated with the United Kingdom.

  Action taken

  The channel presented jewelry through moderators and allowed purchases only during the product presentation, using a falling-price mechanism legally described in Germany as purchase against bid.

  Aftermath

  The format differentiated Gems TV from HSE24 and QVC, but the German operation ultimately failed to reach its sales targets and closed in December 2012.

  Source

• 2012

  Withdrawal from the German marketOther

  Background

  The Channel 21-affiliated German operation had been broadcasting for only a short period and had not achieved its commercial targets.

  Action taken

  Gems TV ended its German television operation on 18 December 2012.

  Aftermath

  The German Gems TV service became defunct. It followed an earlier Gems TV attempt that had ended with a merger into Juwelo TV.

  Source

1. 1Gems TV (German TV channel)en.wikipedia.org