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Freesat study: Shopping channels boosted by Black Friday

November 23, 2018

The success of Black Friday is often said to be a strong indicator of the overall sales forecast for the upcoming peak season. But for shopping channels, with a key proposition that offers enticing deals all year round, Black Friday may appear somewhat limited as a chance to boost sales. How do TV shopping channels fare at this time of year? Does Black Friday really make a difference? Freesat analysed the viewing figures of its key teleshopping channels to delve into audience behaviour in what has become the ‘unofficial’ start of the Christmas shopping season.

In 2017, all of Freesat’s shopping channels saw an increase in the number of viewers over Black Friday week when compared to the same period in January and February, (a traditionally quieter shopping period). Viewing increased on average by 30 per cent, however TJC Choice reported the highest figures with a huge 76 per cent increase in viewers.

In fact, the Sunday preceding Black Friday was the busiest day for shopping channels, with all channels reporting an increase in their share of viewing, their average time spent watching and the percentage of the Freesat platform tuning in.

Overall, the share of viewing across all shopping channels increased during November when compared to the same timeframe in January and February. All channels reported a 22 per cent increase, (QVC Style reported the biggest increase in share of viewing by 50 per cent and also saw the biggest increase in time spent watching, up 30 per cent), suggesting that Black Friday and the peak season have a direct effect on TV shopping viewing and purchases.

Categories: Articles, Consumer Behaviour, Research