QXL to offer TV auctions through NTL

Internet auctioneer QXL.com has been signed up by UK cable company NTL to offer online auctions to interactive television customers this autumn.

QXL auctions will be offered on all NTL platforms, including interactive TV, digital cable TV, digital terrestrial TV, and narrowband and broadband PC services.

The auctions will begin in the autumn on NTL's sport, entertainment and interactive shopping channels. Items up for grabs will include consumer electrical goods, bikes and cameras. Customers can also bid for Wembley Stadium memorabilia on NTL's sports channel.

QXL's share price rose slightly on the news, up by 2.3p to 60.3p at 10.43am BST. However, the share price is still much lower than QXL's highest closing price in the past 12 months - £8.50 per share.

Jim Rose, chief executive at QXL, said: "As the first auction house to join the interactive TV revolution in the UK, we're giving more consumers access to the most entertaining and efficient ecommerce service available. NTL's interactive TV service provides us with access to a whole new customer base via the TV set."

NTL announced last week that it has 230,000 digital customers and expects to have 500,000 by the end of this year. It has 190,000 customers using its ntlworld internet service, with a further 150,000 registrants waiting to join the service.