LONDON — 7 January, 2014 — Shipping Wars, the new programme on Channel 4, premiered its pilot episode 5 January featuring uShip, the first and largest online transport marketplace. Shipping Wars follows a group of UK transporters as they crisscross Britain and beyond with seemingly un-shippable loads found on uShip.com, where they engage in auction-style bidding to win business.
During the premiere one-hour documentary on Sunday, uShip saw a tenfold increase in courier and lorry driver registrations, while site traffic increased 250 per cent over regular levels as second-screen viewers simultaneously visited uShip from their tablets, smartphones and laptops.
“We are seeing similar spikes in registrations and traffic trends as we did when Shipping Wars premiered in the U.S. two years ago. Clearly, there’s interest in the notion of couriers and drivers bidding online and via mobile devices to win customers’ business – a concept uShip has pioneered since 2004. We’re excited to be featured on Channel 4’s Shipping Wars, and hope for its continued success,” said Lupo Westerhuis, general manager, uShip Europe.
The Shipping Wars pilot episode will be repeated on 4seven (Sky 140 and Virgin 195) Tuesday 7 January at 7pm, and on Wednesday 8 January at 2:55am. It is also available on 4oD for instant playback.
In the U.S., uShip continues to be featured on A&E’s Shipping Wars, now in its fifth season. The programme has also been syndicated across Europe, Latin America, Scandinavia, Asia and Australia.
About Channel 4 Shipping Wars
With the eBay generation buying more goods, more people are needed to deliver them. Up to 50,000 items are available online every day for shipping all over the UK and beyond: from the utterly bizarre, to the comically complicated, to the downright mundane. Delivering these items has become big business and websites have sprung up to cater for the demand. Shipping Wars follows a group of transporters as they crisscross Britain and beyond, picking up and dropping off some of the most gob-smacking, seemingly un-shippable loads, hoping to fill every inch of their vehicles to maximise pay. They can make money fast, but if things go wrong then fortunes can rapidly change. For the transporters going head to head, pride is paramount, so claiming the week’s top transporter bragging rights is about more than just the money. Exec Prods: Luke Campbell, Jonathan Nowzaradan; Prod/ Dir: Luke Campbell; Prod Co: Megalomedia
About uShip
uShip is the global transport marketplace that’s reinventing the traditional logistics process. By moving it entirely online and to mobile devices, it brings greater automation, transparency and efficiency to the traditionally inefficient transport industry. Primarily serving the commercial freight, vehicles, and household goods markets, the uShip freight exchange seamlessly connects shipping customers – from freight brokers to business shippers and consumers – with feedback-rated transportation service providers that engage in online fixed price, spot market and auction-based transactions. The company operates globally with localized sites in 19 countries and regions on six continents. It is backed by Benchmark Capital, DAG Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers, and is featured on “Shipping Wars,” the real-life series broadcast worldwide. http://www.uship.com/uk
