Shin Seung-sik, head of commerce and advertising at SK Broadband's media business division. [Herald DB]
Shin Seung-sik, head of commerce and advertising at SK Broadband's media business division. [Herald DB]

SK Broadband announced Wednesday that its short-form commerce service 'B tv Hot Deal' has surpassed 6 billion won ($3.99 million) in cumulative sales and 270,000 units sold in the eight months since its launch.

'B tv Hot Deal' is the first service of its kind in the pay-TV industry, introducing deeply discounted home shopping products through short-form videos of around one minute.

Viewers can browse products using the left and right keys on their remote control, press the OK button to select an item, and receive a mobile link on their smartphone to complete the purchase. Phone orders are also available, as with conventional TV home shopping.

The 'B tv Hot Deal' channel draws an average of 800,000 viewers per day. The number of partner home shopping companies has grown from five at launch to 10, and the monthly product lineup has expanded from 40 items to 174.

The service currently counts six TV home shopping companies — Lotte Home Shopping, Hyundai Home Shopping, NS Home Shopping, Home & Shopping, Public Home Shopping and GS Shop — along with four data home shopping operators: SK Stoa, KT Alpha Shopping, Shopping NT and W Shopping.

SK Broadband has sold more than 600 products through 'B tv Hot Deal' to date, spanning everyday essentials, fashion, home appliances and gold. The company adds about 30 new products each week to broaden consumer choice.

SK Broadband's headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul. [Provided by SK Broadband]
SK Broadband's headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul. [Provided by SK Broadband]

SK Broadband said 'B tv Hot Deal' has resonated strongly with viewers because, unlike conventional home shopping broadcasts that spend nearly an hour on a single product, the service lets customers browse a wider range of items in far less time.

The company also cited ease of use for senior customers unfamiliar with mobile commerce — the service requires only a remote control — as a key factor in its popularity. Free delivery on all products is an additional draw.

SK Broadband also pointed to the mutual benefit the service creates for home shopping companies and small and midsize merchants as a key reason behind 'B tv Hot Deal's success. SK Broadband does not charge a brokerage commission to the home shopping companies that participate in 'B tv Hot Deal.' The arrangement opens a new sales channel for its partners.

Choi Jeong-ha, head of the SNS content team at Lotte Home Shopping, said sales through 'B tv Hot Deal' have risen more than 20-fold since the company joined the platform in December last year. "There are no listing fees or sales commissions, and the short-form format that is trending right now means small and midsize partner companies can verify a product's competitiveness and market viability in a short period of time — it's an effective sales channel," she said.

Shin Seung-sik, SK Broadband's head of commerce and advertising, said the results have proven 'B tv Hot Deal' to be a successful pay-TV co-prosperity project, adding that he hopes to see it expand across the full pay-TV platform as soon as possible.

'B tv Hot Deal' was launched following a temporary regulatory sandbox approval from the Korea Communications Commission last year. The service was developed with the goal of fostering cooperation across the home shopping industry and is credited with establishing a virtuous cycle linking sellers, home shopping companies, the platform and customers.


sjpark@heraldcorp.com