A new online TV channel for small businesses has been launched.

A new online TV channel for small businesses has been launched by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), in collaboration with Dell and Intel.

The web-based channel www.smallbusinessadvice.tv ^[1]was created after research showed that after the initial enthusiasm for Dragon’s Den and The Apprentice, the small business community is disappointed with business TV programmes.

Sponsored by Dell, a recent survey of over 700 business owners found that a quarter thought that existing TV programmes dumbed down the public’s perception of real business people.

Furthermore, 27% of respondents also thought that these programmes didn’t help viewers deal with real business situations, and 74% went on to say that they would be interested in more relevant specialist business programming for small businesses on the Internet for live viewing or download.

The first live episode will be hosted by Sean Walsh, former anchor on CNBC, on 28 November at 1:00pm. It will feature insights from John Dunsmure, Managing Director, British Chambers of Commerce, on how business owners can manage their way out of the financial crisis.

The site will also provide short downloadable ‘how to’ tips on key subjects, together with small business case studies. Viewers are able to submit questions live during each show, and access and download the show at any time after the broadcast.

John Dunsmure said: “I meet with businesses every day and have often heard criticism about the usefulness of a great deal of current business programming.

“Smallbusinessadvice.tv is designed to plug this gap for targeted and highly practical content. Importantly, it is accessible – available to watch live from your work computer or indeed at any time you want by download.”

Dave Marmonti, Senior Vice President & President, Dell Europe, Middle East & Africa, Dell Inc, commented: “Small businesses are a vital part in the UK economy. Dell wants to play a key role in helping small businesses thrive, and has launched smallbusinessadvice.tv with the BCC to be a practical information resource, providing advice on a wide range of topics that owners can draw on to make their own business a success.”

“This is a great initiative which capitalises on two new trends in the UK: the very high consumption of TV on the PC and social networking with communities and aggregated content,” said Christian Morales, Vice President and General Manager, Intel Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Visit: www.smallbusinessadvice.tv ^[2]