This weekend will be full of firsts for the home shopping network Âformerly known as ShopHQ.
It will mark the first full weekend of programming under the Eden Prairie-based company's new name — Evine Live.
It will be the first time to introduce several new brand partners, including celebrities Paula Deen and Lisa Vanderpump.
It will be the first time it will broadcast from New York, at the Plaza Hotel no less.
That was the perfect location to showcase just how different Evine Live will be from ShopHQ, said Chief Executive Mark Bozek.
"What better way to do it than at this iconic place?" he said. "And the idea that we're to be live in New York and Minneapolis at the same time is something this company has never ever seen."
The changes are not just cosmetic. The network is also returning to 24-hour live programming after 18 months of using prerecorded video during the overnight hours. That step also means a return to 24-hour order-taking and the prospect of more revenue.
And Evine Live will launch seven brands with exclusive merchandise this weekend. By comparison, it partnered with four new brands all of last year.
"This is Evine's time," said Alex Fuhrman, an analyst with Minneapolis-based Craig-Hallum Capital Group. "It seems like they've got things on the right trajectory."
Launching exclusive brands has been one of the linchpins of Bozek's strategy since he was installed as CEO last summer following a contentious proxy fight. One problem has been that the company has relied too much on selling closeout merchandise or items that are available through other outlets, he says.
On Friday, Evine Live announced that celebrity chef Deen, who is rebuilding her reputation after Âlosing endorsements and broadcast deals in 2013 when she was targeted in a discrimination lawsuit, will appear this weekend to introduce an exclusive line for Evine of food and pantry products that will roll out next month.
Vanderpump, the reality TV star from "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" and "Vanderpump Rules," will debut a new collection of Âjewelry that will only be available through Evine Live. She will fly to Minnesota for future broadcasts and is planning other new product lines with the network, Bozek said.
Other new brands that will be introduced this weekend include a line of cookware from the Scotto family behind the New York City restaurant Fresco by Scotto, an exclusive new pattern of stemware from Waterford, and a new private label line of chocolates.
Evine Live also will be revisiting one of its most successful new launches in recent months, a show inspired by the Discovery Channel show "Deadliest Catch" about crab fishermen in the Bering Sea. Sig Hansen, a captain in the reality show, appeared on the network in December to help promote a line of seafood and other items.
In November, the company announced it would change its name to Evine Live. Its corporate name up until then was ValueVision Media while its TV network and brand name was ShopHQ.
The company's most-watched program remains a show last August with billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who brought several of the entrepreneurs he invested in from the ABC-TV show "Shark Tank" to peddle their inventions. Cuban returned to the network for a second show in the fall.
Bozek said Evine is in discussions to bring Cuban back.
Kavita Kumar • 612-673-4113
