Gems TV
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- This article is about the British cable channel. For the Spanish language network formerly known as GEMS Television, see mun2.
For the Filipino channel called GEM TV, see DWDM-TV.
| Gems TV | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Sister channel(s) | Gems TV 2 |
| Website | [1] |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| Sky Digital | Channel 646 Channel 660 (Gems TV 2) |
| DirecTV | Channel 233 (US version) |
| Cable | |
| Virgin Media | Channel 755 Channel 756 (Gems TV 2) |
Gems TV is a British, American and also, German, based shopping channel available on Sky Digital, and Virgin Media in the UK and DirecTV in the US (including a second channel, Gems TV2, available on the same platforms in the UK). The company says that it mines gems, handcrafts the products and then sells them through its television channels, hence its motto 'Cutting out the middlemen' and its claim that it can consistently undercut the High Street. Gems TV is also available online.
The company also claims to sell the world's widest variety of gems, including rarities such as Block D Tanzanite and says that, in terms of volume, it is the world's fifth biggest gems retailer. The channel utilizes a falling price auction game, known as Snatch it.
However, they have been censured by the Advertising Standards Authority for misleading customers on more than one occasion (July and August 2005)[1][2].
Several allegations were made against the company. The three main criticisms that were upheld were: that products supplied to customers were of inferior quality to those featured on air, that inferences that prices customers pay on Gems.TV are lower than the High Street were unsubstantiated and also that suggestions that some products had 'healing properties' or could combat drunkenness were misleading and unacceptable.
Gems.TV has also been featured on the BBC's "You and Yours" programme[3] for similar reasons.
Its main competitor in the United Kingdom is The Jewellery Channel, which uses similar selling techniques. Another channel, Jewellery Vault, launched shortly after Gems TV but has since closed down.
Its main gem production facilities are in Chanthaburi, Thailand. It has recently merged with Thaigem.
Gems TV launched a United States operation in December 2006. On television, the channel was available exclusively on DirecTV, but on January 15, 2007, the channel also became available through select cable providers in the U.S. and some TV affiliates such as KLDT in Lake Dallas, Texas. The channel is also streamed live at the company's US website.
Gems TV was started by Steve Bennett, the same person behind internet giant Jungle.com, now owned by Argos.
[edit] Notes and references
- ASA Adjudication, July 2005[2] (Accessed March 2007)
- ASA Adjudication, August 2005[3] (Accessed March 2007)
- You and Yours, BBC Radio, 13 April 2005[4] (Accessed March 2007)
[edit] External links
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