Newbury, UK – China’s first TV shopping channel, Shenzhen Yihe, has purchased a Snell Vega asymmetric router, IQ Modular infrastructure, a Kahuna switcher and KudosPro converters to provide the backbone and live production facilities to power its new six studio complex.

A division of the Shenzhen Media Group – one of the largest broadcast groups in China – Shenzhen Yihe TV Shopping Channel first went on air in 2008 and has experienced rapid growth; it is now broadcasting more than six hours a day. In order to continue its expansion, new facilities were required, and following a three-way competitive tender, Snell was awarded the contract for routing, infrastructure, switching and conversion for its new facility in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province. Operational training is currently underway and the new facility will be going live on 28 March.

Du, Technical Director of Shenzhen Yihe TV Shopping Channel, said, “Having considered offers from three companies, we chose Snell because of the stability and power of its products; the Kahuna is also extremely flexible – it’s easy to use and fast to set up and re-start to meet the needs of different production styles – helping us maximise on-air selling time.

“Other parts of the Shenzhen Media Group already use Snell switchers in both studio and OB operations, so we already know their extensive capabilities and reliability well,” Du continued. “Snell also has a great track record of adding new features and accommodating new technologies as they emerge, and we look forward to benefiting from them over the coming months and years.”

“TV Shopping is a high pressure live production environment which requires powerful, flexible and creative tools to help maximise sales,” said Robert Rowe, managing director of Live TV at Snell. “We’re delighted that Shenzhen Yihe TV Shopping Channel is relying on Snell to expand its operations; it’s a great fit for our technology.”