• by David Kaplan , March 15, 2005

Plans for what could be the world's first "infomercial-channel" were released Monday, and it's called Expo TV. The TV network is expected to be available by the fall, and is the property of Midwest cable operator Insight Communications.

Insight, which has 1.4 million subscribers spread among Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, hopes to market the channel as a special feature alongside its on-demand enabled cable systems and an online community Web site at www.expotv.com, an Insight spokesman said.

As part of Expo TV's "video catalogue"--which showcases product demonstrations by product experts and "VJ" guides--the network will also offer viewers a lineup of merchandise and services covering categories from electronics and technology to beauty, fitness, and entertainment.

"The power of direct marketing on television has unleashed a multibillion-dollar infomercial business, despite having been built in an overnight jungle where viewers are essentially left to fend for themselves," said Daphne Kwon, Expo TV's CEO. "That's our niche--helping streamline a haphazard direct marketplace on TV."

Aside from co-founders Kwon and Bill Hildebolt, the company's president, Expo TV is headed by Dick Beahrs, former president of Court TV; Lisa Gersh Hall, former president and COO of Oxygen Media; Nick Nicholas, former CEO of Time Warner; and Thayer Bigelow, former president of HBO.