As seen on TV

For other uses, see As seen on TV (disambiguation).

As seen on TV is a generic nameplate for products advertised on television in the United States for direct-response mail-order through a toll-free telephone number. As Seen on TV advertisements, known as infomercials, are usually 30-minute shows or two-minute spots during commercial breaks. These products can range from kitchen, household, automotive, cleaning, health, and beauty products, to exercise and fitness products, books, or to toys and games for children. Typically the packaging for these items includes a standardized red seal in the shape of a CRT television screen with the words "AS SEEN ON TV" in white, an intentional allusion to the logo of TV Guide magazine.^{[citation needed]}

A typical logo

Prominent marketers of As seen on TV products include As Seen on TV, Inc., Time-Life, Space Bag, K-tel, Ronco, and Thane. There are also retail brick-and-mortar and online stores that specifically sell As seen on TV products.^[1]

In 1996, "As seen on TV" then moved on to retail, according to A. J. Khubani, CEO of Telebrands, who designed the logo.^[2]

As seen on TV products then moved on to sell on the internet. In 2015, a new As seen on TV corporation was formed and launched as a multi-vendor marketplace, allowing manufacturers and sellers of TV products to sell their inventory through its website New Easy.

The red logo and phrase is now in the public domain and can be used on packaging or in business with no fee and without trademark infringement.^[3]

Companies that produce generic versions of As seen on TV products may use a modified version of the red logo, their version displaying "Like on TV" or "As seen on TV in some countries". This logo can be registered in some countries like a trademark.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Brand-new
• Infomercial
• Not sold in stores

References

1. Lou Harry, Sam Stall (2002). As Seen on TV: 50 Amazing Products and the Commercials That Made Them Famous. Quirk Books. ISBN 1-931686-09-2. as seen on tv.
2. . On The Media. January 1, 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-01-09. Retrieved 2010-01-16. He figured out that he could build brand recognition by blanketing the airwaves with cheap direct-to-consumer commercials, and then take the product into retail stores where he slapped an "As Seen On TV" logo on them, which he designed himself. It's a very lucrative formula, he told me, so that's what he's been doing ever since.
3. "Ad Track: Marketers bet on lucky 777; that's July 7, 2007". USA Today. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2023. Q: Does someone own the famous ad phrase "As Seen On TV" or the familiar logo that has that phrase in a TV-shaped red box?