Random musings and general banter.

[Jazzydrury]

It's interesting, though, isn't it? A completely uninspiring range of goods, that if you price check, are often cheaper elsewhere, even with the club discount. Yet, they are considering extending the hours. I am assuming, that they are operating on a rock bottom budget? You wonder even are the presenters getting full wages or any wages at all? Perhaps it is a six month plan based more upon the original owner of the channel that's gone wanting somehow to resurrect it without spending the money needed to do the job in any grand style? More about anger at how his 'baby' was run into the ground than any true sense of commercial optimism. It seems to all depend on getting the crafting customers to become customers of this channel. Also, I don't think and haven't thought all along, that that is going to work. And if it doesn't work, where are they going to find these customers from to sustain the channel?

Duke exactly. 6 months would take it to February, it would give them time to see their Christmas Sales Figures. There must be a reason, they are putting a kitchen gadgets show on Create and Craft, while having a live hour on shop extra also

 

[Jazzydrury]

I know there was talk about them having a proper cooker fitted before launch, that didn’t happen

 

[Craftalot]

The thought of them going hammer and tongs towards the peak is not an easy vision to bear..

Put me off my scrambled egg on toast this morning. Creepy Crawley is such a strangely asexual being. Even more than Howard was.

 

[Craftalot]

It's interesting, though, isn't it? A completely uninspiring range of goods, that if you price check, are often cheaper elsewhere, even with the club discount. Yet, they are considering extending the hours. I am assuming, that they are operating on a rock bottom budget? You wonder even are the presenters getting full wages or any wages at all? Perhaps it is a six month plan based more upon the original owner of the channel that's gone wanting somehow to resurrect it without spending the money needed to do the job in any grand style? More about anger at how his 'baby' was run into the ground than any true sense of commercial optimism. It seems to all depend on getting the crafting customers to become customers of this channel. Also, I don't think and haven't thought all along, that that is going to work. And if it doesn't work, where are they going to find these customers from to sustain the channel?

I think you're spot on with this. The production value is obvious rock bottom, given that it's being filmed in a cupboard, and I suspect it's just being done almost as an act of defiance. There are some obvious errors that IW made which drove it to the wall which should be fairly easy to rectify - like having a bit more control over your BNPL ledger so you don't end up with one in four customers not paying for their goods. Whether that, combined with getting rid of the BidTV lot is enough though, isn't clear. SE just seems to be based on turning the clock back 15+ years to IW's 'heyday', if such a thing existed, and I'm not sure the model even exists any longer, let alone the customer base which existed then and made IW commercially viable. As you say, I'm not convinced the old dears watching C&C will be tempted over to buying stuff from SE.

The strength of C&C for me is that it's cornered the market in one thing: craft. Even the behemoth that is QVC has never managed to make any inroads into craft, though they do have Sara Davies now, so watch that space. C&C's success, for me, is based on that fact that they've stayed a specialist vendor, and become a 'destination' for craft - I'm surprised that they've got involved, even tangentially, with SE, given the fate of IW and its reputation towards the end.

 

[Hammy60]

I know there was talk about them having a proper cooker fitted before launch, that didn’t happen

Sacre bleu, not one of those "proper ovens" that IW's presenters have spent the last few years, rubbishing, claiming they are expensive to run, obsolete and we should all be buying their air fryers instead?

Duke exactly. 6 months would take it to February, it would give them time to see their Christmas Sales Figures. There must be a reason, they are putting a kitchen gadgets show on Create and Craft, while having a live hour on shop extra also

Does that mean they've broken their promise to Create and Craft viewers that Shop Extra wouldn't effect or reduce any of the crafting shows.

 

[Jazzydrury]

The one in four customers not paying for there goods is that Flexi Pay related

 

[Jazzydrury]

Sacre bleu, not one of those "proper ovens" that IW's presenters have spent the last few years, rubbishing, claiming they are expensive to run, obsolete and we should all be buying their air fryers instead?



Does that mean they've broken their promise to Create and Craft viewers that Shop Extra wouldn't effect or reduce any of the crafting shows.

Think it’s more they are hoping a hour of kitchen, and plenty of if you like these products join us on Shop Extra

 

[Jazzydrury]

I think this hour this afternoon is the first since launch

 

[Craftalot]

The one in four customers not paying for there goods is that Flexi Pay related

Yes. At the point of the administration of IW, about 13% of flexipay was uncollectable, and a further 11% referred to Moorcroft Debt Recovery as defaulted. Completely unsustainable position for any business to be in.

 

[Jazzydrury]

The presenters didn’t help as they used to say get it today for £60 on 4 flexipays, before giving the prices

 

[Deleted member 21838]

Put me off my scrambled egg on toast this morning. Creepy Crawley is such a strangely asexual being. Even more than Howard was.

Yes. Similar to a bearded Action Man figure without the beard, with no trousers on.

 

[cheeky chappie]

They have changed there live hours from 4pm to 10pm

Obviously enough mugs out there buying the stuff ...

 

[Jazzydrury]

Obviously enough mugs out there buying the stuff ...

Are they I’m not so sure

 

[PhædrusR]

Obviously enough mugs out there buying the stuff ...

More likely they've realised their target audience is asleep from 10pm onwards, so moved SE hours to earlier to catch them before they nod off!

 

[User 23988]

More likely they've realised their target audience is asleep from 10pm onwards, so moved SE hours to earlier to catch them before they nod off!

And Den has to be in bed by 7.00 pm sleeping

 

[Deleted member 21838]

Along with the majority of her audience. My daughter, Laura..Zzzzzz

 

[Herring]

They have changed there live hours from 4pm to 10pm

I think this is a pragmatic move — extending hours certainly doesn't suggest the channel is a runaway success when those extended hours are just more repeats.

Post 10PM their viewing figures must be low, and their sales. Stuffing repeats in to those hours 'mops up' any sales potential just as effectively as a LIVE!¹ hour would. As @PhaedrusR quips: most of their lead-in audience (crafters) will be in bed by then anyway.

Since their range of products is (so far) meagre, making their shows/presentations/schedules highly repetitive, repeats are a great way to both save money (on production costs) and make money (from whatever hapless person ended up in the rump-end of Freeview at 11PM).

They could probably get by with 2 LIVE! hours a day tbh.

¹ Is how Shop Extra live shows are stylised on the Create & Craft website​

 

[snakesnakesnake]

More likely they've realised their target audience is asleep from 10pm onwards, so moved SE hours to earlier to catch them before they nod off!

Exactly this. They haven’t expanded in the slightest as the number of live hours has remained the same.
It’s on a 3 month trial the last I heard and any shop extra ‘staff’ are only freelance, not contractual employees

 

[Flying Pigs]

Very crafty ploy to put this show just before the 6 o’clock launch of an ODS. They are hoping crafters will be switching on early and think what a bargain. Crafters like making their planners and it is a 2024 one being offered.

 

[cheeky chappie]

Very crafty ploy to put this show just before the 6 o’clock launch of an ODS. They are hoping crafters will be switching on early and think what a bargain. Crafters like making their planners and it is a 2024 one being offered.

To be fair, crafters might need things like drones so they can hover over whatever they're making to see it from above. And they could certainly use a whizzy whisk to mix up paints etc. And maybe a carpet cleaner for all spills. The list goes on ...