Channel 21 GmbH

What Channel 21 GmbH does

Channel 21 GmbH was a privately held German TV home-shopping and e-commerce retailer headquartered in Hannover, founded in 2001 and operating under the CHANNEL21 brand. The company served mass-market consumers in Germany and Austria through three integrated distribution channels: a broadcast TV shopping channel with call-center telephone ordering, an e-commerce online shop (channel21.de), and interactive live video shopping events hosted on the Otto Group one.O platform. It also operated an Abo-Bestellung recurring subscription delivery service and offered a voluntary 30-day return guarantee on top of statutory withdrawal rights.

The technology stack was a WordPress-hosted e-commerce storefront integrated with Microsoft Cloud infrastructure, HubSpot CRM for customer management, and a broad third-party tooling layer for analytics, affiliate marketing, and payments. Core payment integrations included Klarna, Openbank Pay, Ratepay, PayPal, Amazon Payments, Visa, Mastercard, and SEPA direct debit; credit checks were performed via SCHUFA. Customer acquisition was driven by broadcast TV as the primary channel, supplemented by paid search (Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising), affiliate networks (AWIN, Tradedoubler, Sovendus), email/newsletter marketing, and a presence across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube. The 2019 acquisition of Veluvia signaled a push toward proprietary branded product lines.

Despite a 101-250 headcount and a multi-channel go-to-market motion, Channel 21 ceased operations on 01.06.2026 due to an unsustainable economic situation and entered insolvency proceedings. At the time of shutdown, no revenue figures, funding rounds, or institutional investors were publicly disclosed, and ownership remained with managing director Timm Hormann. The website has since been retained in a limited form to handle remaining returns, customer service inquiries, and statutory communications during the wind-down.

Name

Channel 21 GmbH

Legal name

CHANNEL21 GmbH

Website

https://channel21.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Channel 21 GmbH was a privately held German TV home-shopping and e-commerce retailer serving mass-market consumers in Germany and Austria via broadcast TV, an online shop, telephone hotline ordering, and live video shopping events. The company ceased operations on 01.06.2026 due to insolvency.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

TV Home Shopping

NAICS

General Merchandise Retailers (455), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Shopping & Direct-Response Broadcast Networks (MPABAAAL)

Keywords

• Television home shopping
• E-commerce retail
• Live video shopping
• Consumer goods retail
• Direct response shopping

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanover

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales (E-commerce): Direct product sales through TV channel and e-commerce platform to consumers in Germany and Austria. Orders placed via online shop and telephone hotline. Revenue generated through one-time product transactions with various payment methods including credit card, PayPal, SEPA direct debit, invoice purchase, and installment payment options.
2. Subscription Orders (Abo-Bestellung): Recurring subscription orders for products delivered on a regular schedule. Subscriptions were automatically terminated following the company's shutdown in June 2026.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CHANNEL21 GmbH operates a television home shopping channel and a transactional e-commerce online shop, presenting and selling consumer products such as household, kitchen, garden, health, and beauty items directly to viewers and online shoppers via TV broadcasts, telephone ordering hotline, live video shopping, and a web shop with multiple payment options including installment and invoice purchasing. The company also operates an Abo-Bestellung recurring subscription delivery service and offers a voluntary 30-day return guarantee on top of statutory consumer rights.

Product overview

CHANNEL21 GmbH is a German TV home shopping company and e-commerce retailer that operated a television shopping channel and online shop. The company's core product portfolio consists of the CHANNEL21 TV Shopping Channel (broadcasting product presentations with telephone and online ordering) and the CHANNEL21 E-Shop (online e-commerce platform). Supporting offerings include Live Video Shopping via Otto Group one.O (interactive video shopping events with real-time chat), the Abo-Bestellung subscription service for recurring deliveries, and the voluntary 30-day Rückgabegarantie return guarantee. CHANNEL21 sold products primarily to consumers in Germany and Austria. The company ceased operations on June 1, 2026 due to economic circumstances.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CHANNEL21 E-Shop Transactional e-commerce online shop at channel21.de presenting and selling household, kitchen, garden, health, and beauty consumer products to shoppers in Germany and Austria, with multiple payment options including PayPal, Klarna installment, credit card, SEPA direct debit, Amazon Payments, Mondu BNPL, and invoice purchasing.
• CHANNEL21 TV Shopping Channel Broadcast television home shopping channel that presents consumer products live to viewers and directs them to order via the online shop or telephone hotline; the company's primary customer-acquisition channel.
• CHANNEL21 Live Video Shopping Live video shopping streams that extend the television product-presentation experience online, integrated with Otto Group's one.O live shopping technology, enabling interactive real-time purchasing via the channel21.de web shop.
• CHANNEL21 Abo-Bestellung (Subscription Orders) Recurring subscription delivery service (Abo-Bestellung) allowing customers to schedule regular repeat orders of consumable products such as household and personal care items for ongoing delivery.
• Veluvia Nutritional Supplements Proprietary own-brand line of high-quality nutritional supplements based on micronutrient complexes manufactured in Germany; distributed through CHANNEL21's retail channels following the 2019 acquisition of Veluvia by Channel 21 GmbH.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration23 records

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• PaybackminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPayback loyalty program partnership where customers could collect Payback points on purchases. Payback points remained valid even after company shutdown, with customers directed to contact Payback directly.
• AWIN AGminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliate marketing partnership program (formerly Zanox and Affilinet) for tracking and commission-based customer acquisition.
• Tradedoubler GmbHminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliate marketing partner program for performance-based marketing and customer acquisition tracking.
• Sovendus GmbHminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline marketing service providing voucher and benefit offers. Processed pseudonymized email hash values and IP addresses for offer selection.
• Klarna Bank ABcoreTechnology or IntegrationInvoice purchase and installment payment processing. Customers could pay via Klarna invoice (14, 20, or 30 days) after successful credit check.
• Open Bank S.A. (Openbank Pay)coreTechnology or IntegrationInvoice purchase and installment payment processing through Openbank Pay brand. Provided Ratenkauf (installment) and Rechnungskauf (invoice) payment options after credit check.
• Amazon Payments Europe S.C.A.coreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing service allowing customers to pay using their Amazon account.
• PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. et CiecoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing service for online payments through PayPal.
• Mastercard Europe SAcoreTechnology or IntegrationCredit card payment processing for Mastercard payments.
• Visa Europe Services Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationCredit card payment processing for Visa payments.
• SCHUFA Holding AGcoreTechnology or IntegrationCredit scoring and identity verification service for assessing customer creditworthiness for invoice and installment payment options.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• 1-2-3.tv: German TV auction and shopping channel operating a TV broadcasting + e-commerce model in DACH, competing for the same home-shopping viewer and customer base as Channel 21.
• HSE (Home Shopping Europe): Direct German TV home shopping and e-commerce competitor, broadcasting a TV shopping channel and operating an online shop with similar call-center, installment, and live shopping mechanics. Closest comparable peer in the DACH home-shopping market.
• MediaShop GmbH: Austrian/German TV shopping broadcaster and e-commerce retailer with a multi-channel home-shopping proposition targeting DACH consumers, very similar in scale, format, and customer profile to Channel 21.
• Pearl GmbH: German multi-channel retailer historically known for TV shopping-style catalogs and broadcast advertising, with a strong e-commerce presence in electronics and household goods — direct overlap in merchandising strategy.

Others

• Shopify (DACH merchants): E-commerce platform provider powering many DACH DTC merchants; not a direct competitor but represents the infrastructure alternative that smaller retailers can use to replicate Channel 21's e-shop without a broadcast channel.

Broad incumbents

• Zalando: Leading German/European online fashion and lifestyle marketplace; competes with Channel 21 for the same German consumer wallet, though Zalando operates at vastly larger scale and a different assortment.
• QVC Group (QVC Germany): Global leader in TV home shopping with a major German operation; broadcasts a TV shopping channel, runs an e-commerce platform, and has been pivoting toward live video shopping — directly comparable model to Channel 21 at much larger scale.
• Otto Group (Otto.de): Germany's largest D2C e-commerce platform and the operator of one.O, the live video shopping infrastructure Channel 21 used; comparable on e-commerce scale and on the live-commerce technology stack.
• Amazon Germany: Dominant general-merchandise online retailer in Germany, setting customer expectations on assortment, pricing, and delivery that constrain any smaller TV-and-etail player like Channel 21.

Regional players

• Beate Uhse (NEW media GmbH / Beate Uhse Group): German retailer with a TV and catalog-shopping heritage (now online-led) selling lifestyle, wellness, and household products — comparable as a traditional DACH TV/catalog-driven retailer that has shifted toward digital commerce.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/channel21-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Channel 21 GmbH