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July 30, 2010
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| CJ O Shopping, the television and online retail arm of food giant CJ Group, has launched a 24-hour shopping channel in India. The channel, called Star CJ Alive, will target middle-class viewers, setting itself apart by offering global brands. The debut, CJ said, is the first time a Korean retailer has entered the Indian market. Star CJ Alive, which will begin broadcasting on Aug. 1, is the culmination of months of preparation by the group. The network will be run by a joint venture called Star CJ Network, half owned by CJ O Shopping and Star India, a unit of global media giant News Corporation’s Asian division Star TV. The venture was launched in March 2009. The network began airing six hours of retail content on Star India’s drama channel Star Utsav on a trial basis in September 2009. “Introducing the [Star Utsav] slot gave us an opportunity to study the market and its needs, along with consumer behavior,” said Paritosh Joshi, CEO of Star CJ Network. “There is huge potential in this market, given the increasing discretionary income of consumers in India.” Though a delay obtaining a license from the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting pushed back the date for the unveiling of the channel, more than 50,000 customers purchased products during its six-hour pilot. From negligible levels in the first few months, revenue has been growing 40 percent each month since the beginning of 2010, the operator said. Star CJ Alive will focus on urban areas such as New Delhi and Mumbai as well as major cities in the northern and western regions of India including the National Capital Region, Chandahar, Pune, Nashik and Punjab and Haryana. Viewership is expected to be about 10 million households. The main target demographic will be people aged 25 to 45, middle class and up. Star CJ Alive is marketing itself as a premium shopping channel for the wealthy professional. “Unlike our competition, whose main selection consists of cheap products from China and a few home appliances, Star CJ will offer global brands such as Samsung, LG, Adidas and Corelle,” said a representative of CJ O Shopping. Lee Hae-sun, CEO of CJ O Shopping, said, “2010 will be the year when CJ O Shopping cements its place as the No. 1 home shopping firm in Asia.” By Lee Jung-yoon [joyce@joongang.co.kr] |
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