[London, ENGLAND] European online auctioneer
QXL.com announced Monday
a deal that will put its services on all the U.K. platforms of
ntl.
The latest deal comes while QXL.com is still embroiled
in a merger fiasco with German online auctioneer
ricardo.de, as
reported here last Thursday. QXL’s move to reconsider
the ricardo deal was welcomed by the markets, and
today’s announcement will give further encouragement
to investors.
The agreement with ntl will put QXL.com’s auctions on
the sports, entertainment, and interactive shopping channels
of ntl’s interactive TV, digital cable TV and digital
terrestrial TV services as well as on its narrowband (ntlworld)
and broadband PC services.
Jim Rose, QXL.com’s chief executive, emphasized that his
firm wanted everyone to have access to the online auctions
— not just PC owners but others with interactive television.
“As the first auction house to join the interactive TV revolution
in the U.K., we’re giving more consumers access to the most
entertaining and efficient e-commerce service available,” said Rose,
adding that ntl’s interactive TV service would give QXL.com a whole
new customer base.
John Hondros, director of content at ntl interactive, commented
that QXL.com’s great benefit was to offer everything from high
street items to rare finds, at a price ultimately set by the user.
One of the upcoming auctions that is already attracting attention
is the proposed sale of items from Wembley Stadium, England’s
national sports stadium which is to be completely rebuilt over the
next two years. The sale will be featured on ntl’s sports channel
along with other items of sports memorabilia.
Headquartered in the U.K., ntl has operations in France, Australia
and Ireland, and employs over 10,000 people.
