Editing QVC (section)

===Barry Diller, use of QVC for corporate raider attempts (1993–1995)===

====Diller's takeover and failure of Q2====

Introduced to televised shopping by designer [[Diane von Fürstenberg]] a decade before their marriage, [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] founder [[Barry Diller]] pursued slick "infotainment"-style programming as his next television venture.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Farhi |first1=Paul |title=Shopping For a New TV Formula |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1993/07/30/shopping-for-a-new-tv-formula/622c9c50-d53c-4f2a-af6b-899d42a0d42b/ |access-date=19 April 2020|newspaper=The Washington Post |date=30 Jul 1993}}</ref> After resigning as chairman of [[Fox Corporation|Fox Inc.]] in early 1992, Diller's Arrow Investments purchased a $25 million stake in QVC, or just under 3 percent of the company, in December 1992 and Diller succeeded Segel as chairman and chief executive on January 18, 1993.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sims |first1=Calvin |title=Diller Acquires QVC Stake |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/11/business/company-news-diller-acquires-qvc-stake.html |access-date=19 April 2020 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=11 Dec 1992 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116033734/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/11/business/company-news-diller-acquires-qvc-stake.html |archive-date=January 16, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Diller, known for building Fox as a fourth national television network in just five years, replaced QVC's second channel, The Fashion Channel, with Q2.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Robins |first1=J. Max |title=QVC2 fashioning new order with Carpenter |url=https://variety.com/1993/tv/news/qvc2-fashioning-new-order-with-carpenter-109172/ |access-date=28 January 2022|publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=30 Jul 1993}}</ref> Debuting in spring 1994, Q2 was aimed at younger, more economic shoppers, and broadcast from New York City. The spin-off network was shelved in 1996, costing QVC $55 million.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Landler |first1=Mark |title=Diller Acquires QVC Stake |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/20/business/barry-diller-used-to-work-here.html |access-date=19 April 2020 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=20 May 1996 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414201739/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/20/business/barry-diller-used-to-work-here.html |archive-date=April 14, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Failed Paramount takeover bid====
QVC, under Diller, first placed a hostile $9.6 billion bid for Paramount in September 1993, when talks for a friendly merger between Paramount and [[Viacom (1952–2006)|Viacom]], worth $7.2 billion at the time, were already under way.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fabrikant |first1=Geraldine |title=Paramount to Weight QVC Talks |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/11/business/paramount-to-weigh-qvc-talks.html |access-date=19 April 2020 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=11 Oct 1993 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117073623/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/11/business/paramount-to-weigh-qvc-talks.html |archive-date=January 17, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> QVC's more attractive bid was forced on Paramount in the February 4, 1994 decision of [[Paramount Communications, Inc. v. QVC Network, Inc.]] by the [[Delaware Supreme Court]]. Following Viacom's merger with [[Blockbuster LLC|Blockbuster]] that gave Viacom the financial lead, Diller proposed that QVC financial backer [[BellSouth]] could buy QVC shares after the merger to boost the value of QVC's stock to Paramount shareholders.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fabrikant |first1=Geraldine |title=QVC Wins BellSouth's Help in Bid |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/12/business/the-media-business-qvc-wins-bellsouth-s-help-in-bid.html |access-date=19 April 2020 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=12 Nov 1993 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117210130/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/12/business/the-media-business-qvc-wins-bellsouth-s-help-in-bid.html |archive-date=January 17, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> Diller dropped the proposal when reminded of its legal challenges and on February 14, 1994, QVC lost its bid for Paramount to a $9.85 billion bid from Viacom.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Britell |first1=Penny |title=Viacom wraps Par marathon |url=https://variety.com/1994/biz/news/viacom-wraps-par-marathon-118377/ |access-date=20 April 2020 |publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=15 Feb 1994}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Fabrikant |first1=Geraldine |title=Paramount-QVC Talks Said to Be Unproductive |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/02/business/the-media-business-paramount-qvc-talks-said-to-be-unproductive.html |access-date=19 April 2020 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=11 Nov 1993 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118183746/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/02/business/the-media-business-paramount-qvc-talks-said-to-be-unproductive.html |archive-date=January 18, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> Diller's reported five-word response to the end of what ''[[The Los Angeles Times]]'' called "the biggest takeover war of the 1990s" was: "They won. We lost. Next."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bates |first1=James |title=Paramount Deal: As Show Closes, a Look at the Script |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-02-16-mn-23560-story.html |access-date=19 April 2020|newspaper=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |date=16 Feb 1994}}</ref>

====Worldwide reach====

Diller changed the name of QVC Network to QVC, Inc. in 1994, while creating a holding company to allow the firm to diversify and build assets and divisions separately. Among the changes were the creation of two new divisions, Q Direct, to produce infomercials and 60- and 120-second direct response TV commercials, and QVC Interactive, an online-shopping service.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Edelson |first1=Sharon |title=Diller Takes Steps to Transform QVC Into Multimedia Company |url=https://www.wwd.com/business-news/retail/diller-takes-steps-to-transform-qvc-into-multimedia-company-1154823/ |access-date=25 April 2020|publisher=[[Women's Wear Daily]] |date=18 Feb 1994}}</ref> QVC launched their internet shopping site, iQVC, on September 15, 1996.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://corporate.qvc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Vm0wd2VF-2.pdf |title=QVC Milestones |access-date=2020-04-26 }}</ref>

QVC's shopping channel based in Mexico, airing in non-primetime programming hours on [[XHTV-TDT|Canal 4]], launched November 1, 1993 in a partnership with [[Televisa]], and known domestically as CVC (a Spanish translation of the network's full name).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rothman |first1=Matt |title=QVC pushes into Mexico |url=https://variety.com/1993/tv/news/qvc-pushes-into-mexico-106305/ |access-date=25 April 2020 |publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=27 Apr 1993}}</ref> The operation closed on August 4, 1995, after the [[Mexican peso crisis|devaluation of the]] [[Mexican peso]] during a monetary transition, and a general national loathing of long-form home shopping and [[infomercial|paid programming]] content.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Paxman |first1=Andrew |title=Shopping web bagged across border |url=https://variety.com/1995/scene/markets-festivals/shopping-web-bagged-across-border-99129613/ |access-date=25 April 2020 |publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=12 Mar 1995 }}</ref>