HSN

{{Infobox company

| name = HSN, Inc.

| type = Private

| traded_as = {{NASDAQ was|HSNI}}

| industry = Cable Television
Satellite Television

| founded = {{Start date and age|1977}} in

| founders = Lowell Paxson
Roy Speer

| fate = Acquired by Liberty Interactive Corporation in 2017, now co-owned with QVC

| hq_location_city = West Chester, Pennsylvania

| hq_location_country = United States

| key_people = Mindy Grossman (CEO, 2006–2017)

| parent = QVC Group (formerly Qurate Retail Group) (2017-present)

| divisions = Cornerstone Brands

| website = {{URL|https://www.hsn.com/|HSN.com}}

| module =

}}

{{Infobox television channel

| name = HSN

| logo = HSN logo.svg

| launch_date = {{Start date and age|1982|09|20}}

| picture_format = 1080i (HDTV)
(HD feed downgraded to letterboxed 480i for the SDTV feed)

| owner = QVC Group (formerly Qurate Retail Group and before that, Liberty Interactive)

| country = United States

| area = Worldwide

| headquarters = West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States

| former_names = Home Shopping Club (1982–1985)
Home Shopping Network (1985–2000)

| sister_channels = HSN2

| website = {{URL|www.hsn.com}}

| terr_serv_1 = ABC Owned Television Stations

| terr_chan_1 = -DT4 channel position; list of stations

| terr_serv_2 = Over-the-air as a subchannel

| terr_chan_2 = Consult local listings

| online_serv_1 = Digital media receiver

| online_chan_1 = Roku and Apple TV (4th generation)

| online_serv_2 = Service(s)

| online_chan_2 = DirecTV Stream, Sling Freestream, The Roku Channel YouTube TV,

| online_serv_3 = Website

| online_chan_3 = [https://www.hsn.com/watch/live HSN Live Stream]
[https://www.hsn.com/watch/live?network=4 HSN2 Live Streaming ]

}}

HSN, Inc. an initialism of its former name Home Shopping Network, is an American free-to-air television network owned by the QVC Group (formerly Qurate Retail Group), which also owns catalog company Cornerstone Brands. It is based in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

As of July 2014, Joy Mangano holds the record for most units sold in a day with 216,000 units of pillow sets.{{cite web | title=HSN's "Queen of Invention" Joy Mangano Shatters Records Again with History-Making Sellout | website=HSN | date=July 28, 2014 | url=https://corporate.hsn.com/newsroom/pressrelease/hsn-s-queen-of-invention-joy-mangano-shatters-records-again-with-history-making-sellout/ | access-date=April 23, 2024}}

History

The forerunner of HSN was launched by Lowell Paxson (who later established PAX-TV, which is now Ion Television) and Roy Speer in 1982 as the Home Shopping Club, a local cable channel seen on Vision Cable and Group W Cable in Pinellas County, Florida. It expanded into the first national shopping network three years later on July 1, 1985, changing its name to the Home Shopping Network, and pioneering the concept of a televised sales pitch for consumer goods and services. Its competitor and future owner QVC was launched the following year.{{Cite web|title=qvc launches 1986 - Google Search|url=https://www.google.com/search?q=qvc+launches+1986|access-date=2020-11-04|website=www.google.com}}

In 1986, HSN began a second network that broadcast free-to-air on a number of television stations it had acquired under the name Silver King Broadcasting. In 1992, HSN spun off from Silver King Broadcasting, and afterwards saw Liberty Media acquire stock in the network.{{cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/1996/08/26/deals/silver_hsn/|title=Silver King, HSN to merge|publisher=CNN|date=August 26, 1996|accessdate=February 9, 2022}} In 1996, the station group was sold back to Silver King Broadcasting, which was now owned by Barry Diller,{{cite news|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/08/26/Silver-King-to-buy-HSN/2026841032000/|title=Silver King to buy HSN|publisher=UPI|date=August 26, 1996|accessdate=February 9, 2022}}{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-08-27-fi-38099-story.html|title=Diller Makes 1.26|first=Sallie|last=Hofsmeister|work=Los Angeles Times|date=August 27, 1996|accessdate=February 9, 2022}} and changed its name to "HSN Inc." after its merger with Silver King was completed.{{cite news|title=Silver King annexes HSN|newspaper=Variety|date=December 19, 1996|author=Martin Peers|url=https://variety.com/1996/scene/vpage/silver-king-annexes-hsn-1117436608/|access-date=2022-02-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160220122654/http://variety.com/1996/scene/vpage/silver-king-annexes-hsn-1117436608/|archive-date=2016-02-20|url-status=live}} Under Diller's leadership, the HSN also acquired the USA Network, Sci-Fi Channel and Universal Television in October 1997.{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/9f1e332e16961e7ff970665ad251d543|title=Barry Diller taking over USA Network and other Universal TV businesses|first=Eric R.|last=Quinones|publisher=Associated Press|date=October 20, 1997|accessdate=February 9, 2022}} This resulted in HSN Inc. being changed to USA Network Inc.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1997/10/21/hsn-to-acquire-cable-networks-from-universal/2cad0c52-2bc1-4fc8-9c3a-ea8ba8df3021/|title=HSN To Acquire Cable Networks From Universal|first=Paul|last=Farhi|newspaper=Washington Post|date=October 21, 1997|accessdate=February 9, 2022}} The purchase was finalized in February 1998.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/15/business/barry-diller-media-titan-wants-a-shot-at-the-small-time.html|title=Barry Diller, Media Titan, Wants a Shot at the Small Time|first=Geraldine|last=Fabrikant|work=The New York Times|date=February 15, 1998|accessdate=February 9, 2022}}

In September 2000, Home Shopping Network changed its name to HSN.{{Cite web|title=HSN|url=https://www.hsn.com/article/company-history/1870|access-date=June 5, 2020|website=www.hsn.com}}

Mindy Grossman became CEO of HSN in 2006,{{cite web|title=World's Most Powerful Women|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/mindy-grossman/|work=Mindy Grossman|publisher=Forbes|access-date=23 August 2012}} and aggressively reinvented and relaunched the brand. She took HSN public in 2008, and has overseen its multibillion-dollar retail portfolio and multimedia expansion.Grossman, Mindy. [https://hbr.org/2011/12/hsns-ceo-on-fixing-the-shopping-networks-culture/ar/1 "HSN's CEO on Fixing the Shopping Network's Culture"]. Harvard Business Review. December 2011. Reprinted in: Harvard Business Review. [https://books.google.com/books?id=4pvBAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA54 How I Did It: Lessons from the Front Lines of Business]. Harvard Business Review Press, 2014. pp. 54–61. Grossman left HSNi in May 2017 to helm Weight Watchers.{{cite web|title=Weight Watchers Hires HSN's Mindy Grossman As CEO|url=http://fortune.com/2017/04/26/weight-watchers-mindy-grossman/|access-date=2 October 2017|website=Fortune}}

In April 2017, HSN CEO Mindy Grossman stepped down to assume the CEO position at Weight Watchers.{{cite press release | work=Forbes| date=6 July 2017| title=Weight Watchers New CEO HSN Mindy Grossman | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurengensler/2017/04/26/weight-watchers-new-ceo-hsn-mindy-grossman/#643f5d481b5c}} On July 6, 2017, Liberty Interactive announced it would buy the remaining 62% of HSN stock it did not already own in order to acquire the company for its QVC Group. QVC CEO Mike George would be CEO of the combined company.{{cite news|last1=Isidore|first1=Chris|date=6 July 2017|title=QVC buying rival Home Shopping Network|publisher=CNN Money|url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/07/06/news/companies/qvc-home-shopping-network/index.html|access-date=6 July 2017}}

In September 2018, HSN had partnered with Pickler & Ben for a "shop the show" feature that allows viewers to buy featured items from HSN via the show's website and HSN.com.{{cite web|url=http://tasteofcountry.com/pickler-and-ben-talk-show-premiere/|title=Faith Hill-Produced 'Pickler & Ben' Talk Show Launching in September|date=August 24, 2017 |publisher=Taste of Country|access-date=October 1, 2018}}

In May 2023, HSN's parent Qurate Retail Group's stock was facing a delisting from the Nasdaq if share prices are unable to rebound, as their stock has declined over 80% over the past year.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2023/05/03/qvc-hsn-qurate-retail-stock-price-delisting.html|title=QVC, HSN parent Qurate Retail Group faces delisting from Nasdaq is share price doesn't rebound|date=May 3, 2023|access-date=October 3, 2023|website=The Business Journals|language=en}} In October 2023, CreditRiskMonitor reported that Qurate Retail Group was nearing a potential Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.{{Cite web|url=https://www.retaildive.com/news/retailers-at-risk-of-bankruptcy-2023/694548/|title=11 retailers at risk of bankruptcy in 2023|date=October 2, 2023|access-date=October 3, 2023|website=Retail Dive|language=en}}

On February 21, 2025, HSN's parent Qurate Retail Group officially changed its name to QVC Group.

Sister channels

HSN2, launched on August 1, 2010, acts as a timeshift channel carrying tape-delayed presentations of products and programming. Dish Network has carried it since launch.[http://www.multichannel.com/article/453716-HSN2_Set_For_Aug_1_Dish_Network_Debut.php HSN2 Set For Aug. 1 Dish Network Debut] [https://web.archive.org/web/20100618133634/https://www.multichannel.com/article/453716-HSN2_Set_For_Aug_1_Dish_Network_Debut.php Archived copy] Multichannel News June 14, 2010
America's Store, formerly the Home Shopping Club Overnight Service, was HSN's secondary service that was on the air from 1988 until April 2007.

Operations

HSN's United States operations are based in St. Petersburg, Florida, which houses its corporate headquarters, studio and broadcasting facilities. Additional call center facilities are located in Roanoke, Virginia & Toledo, Ohio. Distribution centers are situated in Roanoke, Piney Flats, Tennessee, and Fontana, California. In October, 2018 Quarate announced the closure of the Roanoke distribution center in favor of a combined QVC/HSN distribution center to be located in Bethlehem, PA.{{cite web|last=Harris|first=Jon|date=December 3, 2018|title=At 1.7 million square feet, new QVC warehouse will be the largest in Lehigh Valley — maybe in Pa.|url=https://www.mcall.com/business/mc-biz-qurate-retail-qvc-hsn-bethlehem-huge-fulfillment-center-20181130-story.html|access-date=2019-09-24|website=The Morning Call|language=en}} In January 2025, it was announced that HSN would be closing its St. Petersburg headquarters and relocating to West Chester, Pennsylvania, home of HSN and QVC parent company Qurate Retail Group.{{cite web | last=Lisciandrello | first=Carl | title=HSN is closing its St. Petersburg headquarters after nearly 50 years and moving to Pennsylvania | website=WUSF | date=January 31, 2025 | url=https://www.wusf.org/economy-business/2025-01-30/hsn-st-petersburg-headquarters-closing-nearly-50-years | access-date=May 15, 2025}}

As of today, HSN and QVC is carried over the digital public airwaves and can be viewed without a cable subscription or a streaming device. Additionally a new Streaming service was introduced to cable providers which provides a different shopping experience compared to if a viewer went online and ordered merchandise.{{cite web | url=https://chainstoreage.com/qvc-hsn-parent-takes-livestream-shopping-new-channel | title=QVC, HSN parent takes livestream shopping to new channel | date=June 29, 2022 }}

Technology

=Call center=

HSN National began with a standard rotary phone system that concentrated calls to the front of the queue. This corresponded to the front row of order takers in the HSN Studio at the Levitz Center (so named as the location was a former Levitz furniture store) in Clearwater, Florida. After several months, this system was no longer adequate and HSN entered a phase where a phone system from GTE was used. HSN claimed that the system's inability to handle the high call volumes resulted in a loss of business. HSN sued GTE for $1.5 billion. In a counter-libel suit, GTE claimed that HSN had slandered the company; GTE won a $100 million judgment. Both parties settled out of court.{{cite web|last=AP|date=4 November 1989|title=COMPANY NEWS; GTE Settles Dispute With Home Shopping|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/04/business/company-news-gte-settles-dispute-with-home-shopping.html|access-date=2 October 2017|work=The New York Times|via=www.nytimes.com}}

=Original order-taking system=

HSN developed its original order-taking system on a Burroughs Large System mainframe using the LINC 10 fourth generation language.{{Cite web|title=The Home Shopping Network (HSN) Company Profile – COUPONSDIGEST.COM|url=http://www.couponsdigest.com/the-home-shopping-network-hsn-company-profile/|access-date=June 5, 2020}}