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Channel 4 Plans To Extend On-Demand Opportunities

delboy — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:03:17 +0000

UK free-to-air broadcaster Channel 4 are reportedly close to launching a new channel that would help them to extend the life of some of their shows, as they plan the ‘on-demand’ broadcast channel for a summer release.

The new network would be created with the intention of offering viewers a further chance to catch up on the main channel’s most popular series, including Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, Come Dine With Me, Comedy Lab, and New Girl.

Being made as a complement to the network’s current ‘catch-up’ offerings of Channel 4+1, and online service 4oD, the new service has been said to already have been booked in as a future channel number on digital terrestrial platform Freeview and satellite broadcaster Sky, while plans are also in place to attempt a carriage deal with Virgin Media.

A source close to the project (which is currently internally dubbed ‘Project Shuffle’) claimed that the new channel would be operated with Sky’s in-system ’Anytime’ service as a slight template, suggesting that Channel 4 will select their best shows for extra broadcast, but then placed into an actual schedule, as opposed to Sky Anytime’s full ‘on-demand’ offering.

While the brand name of Channel 4 is almost certain to be used in the channel’s name, suffixes (similar to the ‘+1′ channel) are said to be in discussion by executives, with the name thought to be selected from the options of ‘Shuffle’, ‘Too’, ‘Squared’, and ‘Plus Two’.

Channel 4 is thought to believe that the Shuffle project could help it offer more advertising inventory around popular new shows, as well as ensure it maximises audience share for programmes. A Channel 4 source reported the plans and their motivation for launching the channel, saying: “If there is something like a Sherlock [BBC One] or a major show on a commercial rival then Channel 4 takes a big hit. If light viewers miss an episode, especially the first, they tend to go away so this is a clever idea to keep them engaged in the prime window after first broadcast and it shouldn’t cannibalise the main channel.”

Another source added: “Advertisers are genuinely pleased with the opportunity, there is certainly demand for it. Too quickly, too often this stuff falls off our screens. This gives an opportunity to re-engage with the big stuff that people want to watch on a TV screen. It gives two or three more bites at the electronic programme guide.”

While it seems to be a format that has not been used too often before, some critics might claim that it is a step back from the moves online that most major networks (including Channel 4 themselves) have made over the past few years. Can Project Shuffle manage to tempt online viewers back into traditional viewing methods?

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Watching Online TV In The UK

admin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:12:35 +0000

While many people will see the United Kingdom as a collection of several smaller countries and territories (including England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland), in the world of TV production the British Isles are a lot more unified, but the range of cultures and interests found in the UK create a vast selection of content in terms of both channels and shows, including a selection of regional-based programming.

Watch online TV in Canada

In a market that is certainly up with the best in the world in terms of funding, innovation, and global popularity, TV services in the UK have a good cross-section of appeal, as the split between ‘free-to-air’ and pay-TV customers is nearly 50-50. That statistic, though, does not include the ever-growing use of online TV services, as major broadcasters (and smaller ones) look to claim their piece in this relatively new opportunity by offering their own-branded online streaming, catch-up, and on-demand TV services, many of which are shared with the neighbouring Republic of Ireland.

In an outlook that somewhat replicates traditional TV viewership in the British Isles, the main presence in the free-to-air on-demand TV market in the UK is offered by the traditional ‘analogue terrestrial channels’, including public broadcaster BBC, main commercial competitor ITV, and the smaller rivals Channel Four and Channel 5.

However, this terrestrial dominance is being challenged by subscription-based counterparts on the Internet as well as offline, with satellite TV provider Sky having plenty of financial backing to bring new broadcasting technologies to the table, and have been previously known for their successful implementation of interactive services, High Definition, and more recently 3D feeds.

As the number of commercial platforms increases, so too does the range of networks and genres that are broadcast, where Sky naturally lead the way with a number of channels in sports (Sky Sports) movies (Sky Movies) and news (Sky News), amongst others, and all of which feature on the own-brand live TV and catch-up streaming service Sky Go. It is not a complete dominance, though, as rivals to Sky in fields such as sport (Eurosport and ESPN), movies (Film4), and multi-channel broadcasting (Virgin Media and BT Vision) still exist as alternatives either on Internet or mobile-based systems, and often at a reduced price.

More details on the variety of TV networks in the UK can be found on the linked page. Alternatively, information on the UK’s TV market in general can be found at this link to Wikipedia.

SeeSaw Loses Channel 4 Streams

admin — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:08:20 +0000

The online TV platform SeeSaw which was perilously close to closing down before finding a new owner, has in a further blow lost their content deal with Channel 4, makers of hit shows that include the Inbetweeners.

SeeSaw lose a major content partner in Channel 4

SeeSaw have been renegotiating content deals since being brought by Criterion Capital Partners. Their strategy of trying to make the UK catch-up TV website profitable was to try and negotiate better deals, but they have thus far been unsuccessful with Channel 4.

It is a big blow for SeeSaw as Channel 4 are a major partner who supply many hit shows such as Skins, Peep Show and of course The Inbetweeners amongst others.

Criterion Capital Partners who also own Bebo, brought the 75% stake in SeeSaw from previous owner Arqiva back in July when the ailing site was days away from shutting down.

The SeeSaw video-on-demand service was born out of the blocked and then killed off Project Kangaroo project, the technology was used in the service.

Currently Channel 4 content is not available to stream via SeeSaw and unless a deal is reached, will not be available anytime soon.

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Ortis Dropped For Channel 4 Athletics Blunders

delboy — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 18:54:19 +0000

While Channel 4 were recently expressing their delight at gaining the rights to broadcast the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Athletics live from Daegu (South Korea), they are probably now wishing they hadn’t bothered trying to get into the sports market, as the 2012 Paralympic Games broadcaster hit the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Ortis Deley, a TV presenter best-known for his role on Channel 5′s The Gadget Show, had been hired by Channel 4 to front the live coverage, but as the clip below demonstrates, he seems to be more than a bit out of his depth, stuttering on some of his lines and getting the commentator’s names wrong, amongst other issues. As a result of a viewer backlash, his role is now being diminished to a more minor reporting job, with his seat in the main stand being taken up by Rick Edwards, who was previously in charge of presenting the highlights.

A Channel 4 spokeswoman said: “Channel 4 is committed to developing new presenting talent and this extends to our coverage of sporting events. Ortis Deley’s role in Korea covering the world athletics has been scaled back but he will continue to be on air for the duration of the competition. In total we have a team of ten commentators covering this event from Michael Johnson and well-loved British athletes Dean Macey, Katharine Merry and Iwan Thomas to new presenters.”

Will Channel 4 manage to get their ‘innovative approach to live sport’ back on track, or will the be unable to recover from a false start like sprint star Usain Bolt? To see the compliation made by YouTube users highlighting his catalogue of errors (the clips being titled ‘Ortis Deley – Presenting Masterclass’), please watch the video below:

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Channel 4 Release iPhone 4oD Catch-Up TV App

Matt — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:02:47 +0000

Channel 4 have announced that their official catch-up TV service, 4oD (4 On-Demand), is to become available as an app on Apple’s iPhone as of next month, during a period of change at the network.

After being hosted on the iPad tablet computer since April, the service is moving onto the other iOS systems (iPhone and iPod Touch) in September. The 4oD platform covers a range of content from the network’s three main entertainment channels (Channel 4, E4 & More4), and has been responsible for over 215 million video views in the first six months of 2011 alone (making it the most popular broadcaster in the British Isles for on-demand content).

The service, which gives a 30-day catch-up window to current network broadcasts, and archive content from hit series such as The Inbetweeners, is available to use for free (or no additional charge) via host platforms such as YouTube, Sony PlayStation 3, Virgin Media, and TalkTalk. However, the main hub of 4oD comes through the official Channel 4 website (Channel 4.com) which is in the midst of being relaunched with an updated interface for the service, allowing users to personalise their experience and view videos by user recommendations.

The update seems to be part of Channel 4′s recent move to appoint three new staff members to their ‘audience, technologies and insight’ team, a byprodcut of which is a multi-million pound investment for a new ‘viewer database’ to help determine the network’s next moves in broadcasting to target audiences.

Gill Whitehead, Channel 4′s ’audience, technologies, and insight’ director, said of the improvements to her department: “We will work on delivering our ambitions around viewer engagement can move to the next level. As Channel 4 understands more of our audience and their behaviours and preferences, we will move to harness this insight to deliver superior innovation both to advertisers and to viewers. Building the required infrastructure to deliver these ambitions now begins in earnest with a multi-million pound investment in a bespoke Channel 4 viewer database and new senior roles in the audience technologies and insight team.”

With their aims to improve viewer experience clearly established, will the new-found presence on iOS devices be a sufficient step forward for Channel 4?

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Channel 4 Launch 4oD For iPad Tablet

delboy — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:56:56 +0000

If you have an iPad and are in the UK, you currently can only access the BBC iPlayer for on-demand content. That is, until now. Channel 4 have added to the TV apps and released their online catchup TV service 4oD for the Apple iPad.

4oD comes to iPad

The iPad app is available for download free of charge. Some had suggested Channel 4 would charge for the app, but at least to start with the service is sponsored by Heineken. This ad funded model is still going to be the foundation of 4oD service and is likely to remain so, according to Channel 4.

Only the most upto date catch up content will be available on the 4oD app initially, rather than the full suite of archived shows on their website. It has been said that developers are looking to bring the Channel4 archive of TV shows to the iPad soon. Content from the US that is showing on Channel 4 owned channels like E4 and More4 are not available either.

Sarah Milton, of Channel 4, said “our decision comes as it is now clear that the device has a very significant user base. Channel 4 considers the iPad to be attracting a particularly active and engaged audience and a demographic that is of interest to its advertisers.”

Channel 4′s move follows on the heels of other broadcasters who are targeting the popularity of Apple’s tablet in recent months. The BBC launched their iPlayer app for the iPad in February this year and they have already received 2.7 million app requests.

And following close behind was Sky who signed up in March with a TV app that is admittedly limited in functionality. ITV are still in the development process of bringing its ITV Player to mobile and tablet devices later this year.

Although it may seem to some, a long time to wait for TV apps, the iPad’s lack of compatibility with Adobe Flash, could mean specially designed applications are often the only way for users to view internet TV. And specially designed equals a long wait.

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HBO Gives Ricky Season 3

Matt — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 13:03:08 +0000

HBO have announced that they are renewing their unique animated comedy series The Ricky Gervais Show to extend to a third season. The series is an animated overlay of podcast chats recorded by Ricky Gervais, his longterm production partner Stephen Merchant, and their friend, radio producer-turned-cult celebrity Karl Pilkington, whose unconventional deadpan thoughts provide much of the show’s humour, and its subsequent popularity since its debut in 2010.

The podcasts themselves (which reached a Guinness World Record of over 300 million downloads) are based on a popular British radio show (on XFM) of the same name, which ran between 2001-2005.

With the second-season of The Ricky Gervais Show ending this Friday on HBO, the producers of the show (which consists of companies MRC and Wildbrain Entertainment in association with HBO, and an executive production team including Lisa Ullmann and Glyn Hughes alongside the show’s stars) would have been desperate to see the series renewed, as the would the networks who air it, particularly due to the appeal of comedian Gervais (creator and star of The Office franchise, and star of movies such as The Invention of Lying).

The British host network of the show is Channel 4, who were also keen to keep their ratings winner. Channel 4 Head of Comedy Shane Allen said of the Stateside deal: “The Ricky Gervais Show is a proper treat in our schedule. The killer funny cross-examination of Karl’s deranged logic and life philosophies are a perfect fit with the comedy savvy audience of Channel 4. It’s also got the sweetest profile with a vast share of the 16-34 demographic. It should keep getting recommissioned until Karl is ‘cured’.”

Ricky Gervais himself (who recently was in the spotlight over what many critics considered a controversial performance hosting the Golden Globe Awards) said of the series which bears his name: “I am absolutely thrilled. The third season should use up the rest of the best stuff from the audiobooks and podcasts, and we are planning to record brand new material for Season 4.”

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Sky Backtracks And Considers Joining YouView

delboy — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 17:06:12 +0000

Among YouView‘s sixteen content providers, Sky who have opposed the project from day one are the new and surprising name which will help form an advisory board that shapes the connected TV service YouView.

Sky, who previously tried to get the YouView project stopped, have now decided to jump on the bandwagon to help understand the commercial opportunity the platform is likely to provide.

Security and user interface along with how it will accomodate paid services are understood to be among the areas it is keen to influence and help develop.

But a Sky spokesperson said the move would not automatically mean it would rollout its IPTV service Sky Player via the platform.

“We already distribute Sky content across a wide range of platforms,” he said. “It makes sense for us to continue to explore new ways of reaching customers, but it’s too early to say at this stage whether we’ll offer a service over YouView.”

A second tech based group that include Capablue, Ooyala, Red Bee Media and Twofour has also been created, to work closely with the broadcasters as their platform develops

The 29 companies were selected following an “expressions of interest” process which took place last year. All content providers, including those on the advisory board, will be able to formally declare their intention to make content available via the platform later this year.

YouView have previously stated they would love to get Sky onboard and Richard Halton, chief executive officer of YouView said the platform was designed to allow for all types of content providers.

“The diversity and expertise of the organisations that are informing our development will ensure that YouView is able to support a potentially unlimited range of content in the future,” he said.

YouView, which initially was scheduled to launch in the first half of this year was been hit by delays and is now hoping to launch in 2012.

In March Lord Sugar was given the job of non-executive chairman, replacing Kip Meek who resigned after 10 months in his position.

Alan Sugar New Chairman At YouView?

delboy — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 21:17:59 +0000

When a business plan hits a rough patch, who better to call in than the star of the Apprentice? Cue Alan Sugar, the host of The UK version of the hit TV show who is said to be the surprise candidate to take over as new chairman of the YouView project.

Reported in The Guardian, Lord Sugar is said to have been called in by Channel 5′s Richard Desmond to take a look at the venture’s business plan. The BBC backed venture backed by BT, TalkTalk, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Arqiva which aims to bring TV-on-demand services to an upgraded Freeview platform. If he takes the role he will replace existing chairman Kip Meek.

YouView which is also has had to shake up its top management structure after a number of problems delayed the planned June launch until at least 2012. This has opened the door to rivals Virgin Media who have launched their TiVo powered alternative and Sky Player.

Lets just hope YouView does not appear on an Apprentice episode as a task for would be entrepreneurs.

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SeeSaw Online TV Venture May Be Sold As Part Of Arqiva Plan

delboy — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 19:32:26 +0000

Arqiva are hunting for a new partner to invest in SeeSaw its online TV business, the options are to include a complete sale of the operation which is thought to be under consideration. Arqiva also handles TV and radio transmitters for a vast majority of UK broadcasters and is also a partner in the BBC backed YouView VOD venture, Arqiva launched SeeSaw in Feb last year.

Last October Arqiva finished a strategic review of SeeSaw, which employs around 30 people, and is set to begin the hunt for an investment partner.

Arqiva, which who are expected to appoint an adviser in due course, said “all investment options were being looked at in order to support SeeSaw’s long-term success”. It is thought that the options being considered run the gamut from selling a stake through to potentially an entire sale of the operation.

“We’ve been looking at SeeSaw as part of a wider strategic review and, following the success in launching a pioneering new service to both consumers and advertisers, we now believe the service needs further investment to reach its full potential,” said Nick Thompson, the director of Arqiva’s broadcast and media business unit.

“We need to enable a step-change in the development of the service in what is a very fast-moving environment.”

Earlier in the month Arqiva hired John Cresswell, the former interim chief executive of ITV, as its new chief executive.

Arqiva plans to look at all investment options for the business in order to support SeeSaw’s long term success. SeeSaw was funded using all the assets of ITV, Channel 4 and BBC Worldwide’s now defunct VOD venture “Project Kangaroo“, which Arqiva acquired for around £8 million.

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Channel 4 And ITV Catch Up TV Coming To PS3

delboy — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 21:02:42 +0000

PlayStation 3 users in the UK will soon be able to watch their favorite ITV and Channel 4 shows via on demand with their PS3 consoles.

Both ITV and Channel 4’s catch up services ITV Player and 4oD, are expected to launch on the PS3 later this week, allowing PlayStation gamers to watch any missed episodes of shows such as Coronation Street and Peep Show on demand.

Following in the footsteps of the BBC iPlayer, which launched on the PS3 console last year, ITV and Channel 4 are making their programmes available to PlayStation users with internet access for the first time.

Robin Pembroke, managing director at ITV.com, told the Guardian that “the PS3 deal marked an acceleration of ITV’s distribution strategy”, adding that he expected to see popular programmes such as Coronation Street and Emmerdale to be made available on internet enabled TV sets, tablet computers such as the iPad and other gaming consoles soon.

“As awareness of the ITV Player grows, so will consumption of ITV’s content on-demand,” Pembroke added.

ITV has previously refused deals with YouTube and Hulu, the US on-demand TV service that had been considering launching in the UK, and until now ITV had only made its catch up TV service available via Virgin Media and BT Vision. The service will also launch soon on Freesat.

Jon Ingram, operations director at Digitalchoices.co.uk, said: “This latest agreement is yet another sign of how the internet and TV are coming together.”

The BBC’s iPlayer service is also available on the Nintendo Wii, and Sky launched its Sky Player service on the Xbox 360 earlier this year.

“As internet TV services become more mainstream,” added Ingram, “it is possible that the UK’s other popular games consoles may develop more comprehensive TV services. It would be great to see Sky’s premium Sky Sports and Sky Movies channels available on the Wii and the PS3.”

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YouView Announce Their New Marketing Agency

delboy — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 18:20:55 +0000

YouView, the IPTV joint venture that is led by the BBC, has today announced their advertising and marketing agency that will support it during the first part of next year.

YouView aims to upgrade the Freeview and Freesat platforms to support VOD and internet services, has appointed Adam & Eve as its advertising agency.

Adam & Eve will handle through-the-line advertising and communications as the YouView partners the BBC, ITV, BT, Channel 4, TalkTalk, Arqiva and Channel 5 all attempt to persuade consumers that they can “change the way you watch TV forever”.

YouView, which is run by chief executive Richard Halton and chairman Kip Meek, has also hired OMD as its main planning and buying agency, while Momentum will provide specialist retail and experiential marketing.

The three agencies will be tasked with steering the brands launch and the rollout of YouView across all media and channels by half way through 2011.

“We believe YouView will transform the way people watch TV forever and have assembled a highly talented agency team to help deliver this,” said YouView’s marketing director Tim Hunt.

“Adam & Eve is one of the most creative and dynamic new agencies in the UK and we are hugely excited about its plans for YouView.”

He added: “Similarly, Momentum and OMD have demonstrated real leadership in the sector and have a track record of delivering high impact campaigns.

“With the right people in place, the hard work starts now – we are all now focused on bringing YouView to life for viewers.”

According to the financial data gathered last year, YouView – which was previously known as Project Canvas will have a £48 million marketing budget at hand in its first four years of opperation.

Channel 4 Announces Launch Of Film4oD Film4 VOD Service

delboy — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 22:20:19 +0000

TV network Channel 4 has announced that it has partnered with FilmFlex, the IPTV joint venture between Sony and Disney, to launch a new online video on-demand service for Film4 which will be called Film4oD and it will supply a selection of films to rent online, with a lot of them available on the same day as their DVD release. There will be over 500 films available at launch, available to rent from between 50p and £3.99.

The move is part of the UK broadcaster’s new strategy to broaden its VOD service and experiment with different payment models on the new online era.

Sarah Milton, The head of Channel 4’s VOD content, said, “It represents a different business model to our current ad-funded structure, and film lends itself well to payments.”

“Channel 4 will experiment with a variety of payment models in the coming months”, said Milton, adding, “Film4oD will provide us with good insight into the willingness of people to pay for content, and their viewing habits.”

This will help us in determining whether to launch Film4oD on other devices, such as the PlayStation3, for which it’s soon to launch 4oD.

“Initially it’ll be an online proposition, but once we understand the level of demand for the service we’ll look at other platforms and devices,” said Milton.

The broadcaster is also keeping a close eye on the social networks. “We’re definitely focused on expanding our presence on social networks, and will be looking at all options in the coming months,” she added.

Andrew Keyte, CEO of FilmFlex, said, “We believe streamed movie rental is becoming a much more satisfying choice for many movie fans. The industry has been waiting for a mainstream, mass-market and legitimate online movie service. We’ve built one that has the widest choice of new titles and is as easy to use as 4oD.”

FilmFlex carried out two years of development and consumer research to deliver the service, which allows users not only to browse by genre, title and new releases, but also watch trailers and view box office details.

To celebrate the premiere of In Bruges on the Film4 channel in November, Film4oD will host a season of crime movies under the banner ‘Partners in Crime’, featuring Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Down Terrace and Seven.

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Inbetweeners Coming Back For More

admin — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:20:00 +0000

E4′s hit sitcom The Inbetweeners is set to return for two special episodes in the future, with fans previously being fearful that the series had come to a close a fortnight ago with the final episode of the third and final season.

Channel 4 have already announced that a big-screen movie (developed by Channel 4′s movie company Film4) is about the show is in production, and that the two specials will come afterwards.

In the meantime, Channel 4 has also announced a large new batch of comedy commissions for E4, although not much is known about these new series, other than their titles (show titles include Chickens, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, and Campus), and that the headlining talent of some of the new shows will include Noel Fielding (who will have his own show, Noel Fielding: Boopus) and Chris Addison (who will be fronting amateur comedy and storytelling series Show and Tell). The final new comedy for E4 is Meet the Parents, a prank show which sees boyfriends fooled by a collection of ‘in-laws’ played by actors.

Channel 4, which has promised an £5M investment for its comedy budget next year, will hope that the package of greenlighted new series will achieve a similar level of success to The Inbetweeners, (which has also sold rights to produce a US version of the sitcom) and attain higher viewing numbers for their terrestrial channel. Channel 4 comedy correspondent Shane Allen, said of the deals:-

“Channel 4 continues to lead the way in comedy by backing new talent and giving established names the creative freedom to take risks. We are able to give Frankie, Noel and Chris the space to try out new things and want talent to bring their passion projects to us.”

He also spoke highly of the production and acting talent currently on offer to him, stating: “We value our long-term relationships with people of the calibre of Victoria Pile, working with Channel 4 on her first new comedy series since Green Wing, or Graham Linehan, on the fourth series of the IT Crowd, or Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong on their record-breaking seventh series of Peep Show; just as much as we love uncovering new talent like Morgana Robinson and Kayvan Novak”

Allen also summarised the situation for the channel, adding: “Channel 4′s investment in comedy has risen sharply in the last two years – 2011 spend will be almost double 2009 levels – and the space Big Brother leaves puts us in the happy position of having even more hours to fill. Just as well because, God knows, we could all do with a laugh at the moment.”

You can watch the Inbetweeners on channel 4 catch up service 4oD

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Channel 4 To Make £1bn In TV Ad Revenue In 2011

delboy — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:18:35 +0000

Channel 4 Join Project Camelot

The chief executive of Channel 4, David Abraham expects that ad sales from their channels to generate in excess of £1bn by the end 2011.

Speaking at Channel 4’s 2011 launch for agencies and advertisers last night, Abraham, who took up his role on 4th May, pledged to continue what he called the broadcaster’s “great tradition of innovation and creativity as a media partner”.

He said Channel 4 would eclipse the £1bn mark by benefiting from its online tv platform, 4oD and it’s stake in YouView, and the addition of the UKTV sales contract offer, which would offer advertisers a “whole new suite of opportunities”.

During 2009, the broadcaster’s family of channels generated £706.7m of TV ad revenue, which was down 10.5% year on year from £789.7m in 2008.

The 10 year UKTV ad sales contract is estimated to be worth more than £1bn, which would suggest it will represent more than £100m of ad revenue each year.

Channel 4 is likely to come under pressure from the media agencies during the ‘autumn trading season’ this is because of the loss of ‘Big Brother’, which was still able to draw significant audiences for the broadcaster, despite being under its peak.

Abraham saw the loss of ‘Big Brother’ as an opportunity for the broadcaster, He said: “With the emotional burial of ‘Big Brother’, we can at last stop talking about creative renewal and deliver a new-look schedule. Viewers expect us to try new things and that’s what we’re about to do.”

Channel 4 is a partner in YouView, the joint venture aiming to offer free to air, internet enabled TV by the end of the first half of next year.

Abraham said YouView would “enable your mum to have a simple, seamless media experience in her living room”.

Channel 4 also announced plans to introduce its first brand campaign in four years. The ‘Twist’ campaign will allow viewers to make ads using pre recorded words spoken by Channel 4 presenters and actors.

Abraham said: “As far as the old folks here may remember, I worked in advertising for many years, so I’m keenly aware of how we get to pay for all the great content we get to commission.”

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Channel Five To Bring Demand Five Player To Facebook

delboy — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:35:26 +0000

Channel Five is likely to become the first broadcaster to put TV shows onto Facebook. The two companies have struck a deal which will see Channel Five’s catch-up TV-on-demand player Demand Five embedded into Facebook.

This deal covering the UK means that Facebook’s 26m+ UK users will be able to watch Channel Five’s TV catch-up content, which include The Gadget Show, CSI Miami, Neighbours and Home & Away, on Facebook.

Sources close to the developers, say the deal is “all systems go” and the player is already being embedded into Facebook. “It will launch within the next week to ten days,” they said.

This move signals the latest step in Channel Five’s digital expansion strategy, arriving ahead of the relaunch of Demand Five this autumn. It represents a change of strategy for Facebook too, which was previously a communications platform rather than being a destination site hosting professional content.

There is no other broadcaster that has struck such a deal with Facebook to date. The BBC’s upgraded iPlayer, which has been in beta since May, will enables content to be shared on Twitter and Facebook, users can also tap into the social networks once they have registered for a BBC ID. The BBC is restricted from embedding it in Facebook due to its syndication policy, which is under review by the BBC Trust.

ITV is reluctant to sign any third-party syndication deals even though it has a Facebook tv app. A spokeswoman for ITV said, “Viewers are consuming content on a range of platforms to suit their lifestyles, so we want our content to be available when and where they want to watch it. We’re considering options for this.”

Also a Channel 4 spokeswoman has said, “We work closely with Facebook, which is an exciting platform. Our viewers already enjoy Channel 4 content across a number of groups and pages on Facebook and we’ll continue to work closely with it.”

Enders analyst Ian Maude said “the deal is a very smart move for both Five and Facebook. If your business is about reaching as many eyeballs as possible, it makes absolute sense to do so on Facebook, especially for a broadcaster like Five that has a relatively small reach online.”

He also added “the deal will also enrich Facebook’s offering, making it more of a content site. It’s a win-win situation for both”

“It could also make a significant difference to Five’s on-demand ad revenue”, according to Maude. “The challenge for broadcasters is that because advertising is their primary revenue source, they’re loath to give any of it up”, he said, “adding that the negotiation between Facebook and Five over ad sales is likely to be tough. Five already has a syndication template to work from as a result of its tie-up with YouTube,” he said.

While it’s unknown if the YouTube syndication model will be applied to this latest deal, Channel Five is likely to be keen to keep a high proportion, if not all, of ad revenues that flow from the Facebook deal.

Channel Five has already using Facebook with the cross-platform drama Push. The broadcaster is working with ETV Media, show producer Camden Creative and distributor Endemol International and will air ten half hour weekly episodes on Fiver, and will continue the story online with daily one minute mini episodes.

It is a wise move by Channel Five as social networking sites can effect tv ratings and the most popular online activity is…. social networking closely followed by online tv viewing.

Incoming TV searches:

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Channel 4 and ITV Online TV Revenue Soaring

Matt — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:00:40 +0000

UK television networks ITV and Channel 4 are making some serious cash from their online services and are predicted to rake in around £75m in advertising revenue from their online TV services by 2013. So says a report by analyst Screen Digest.

They are forecasting that ITV.com will see a growing return from current advertising revenue of £8.9m for the year 2008, and its impressive predicted 2009 figure which should hit £34m.

Similar growth is expected from its online rival Channel 4 with its 4oD service which is predicted grow by more than treble its advertising revenue, from £3m in 2008 to £9.3m in 2009, which will skyrocket to £75.2m in 2013.

The two internet tv services will out perform Channel Five’s Demand Five service, which is set to make £1.9m this year and expected to grow this to £17.2m by 2013.

Screen Digest estimated ITV.com’s share of online TV viewing for this year at 9.5%, ahead of Channel 4’s 7% and Five’s 1.9%. However, the commercial broadcasters’ services are dwarfed by the BBC’s 29.9% share of views.

ITV.com’s revenues doubled year on year to £10m for the first half of 2009. ITV had binned its targets which were to achieve £150m in digital revenues by 2012. This coincided with massive cuts to its digital businesses in March which saw 600 jobs cut and saw ITV’s profits tank , which culminated with the recent massive loss in the sale of Friends Reunited website which only made a £25m return from the cost of £120m only a year ago.

Youtube to screen ITV and Channel 4 streams?

Matt — Sat, 23 May 2009 15:10:15 +0000

After the deal between Hulu and British TV networks ITV and Channel 4 hit a deadlock (see Hulu UK launch has a hitch) , Youtube has suddenly jumped into the mix.

The mighty video site YouTube is in negotiations apparently with said TV networks to stream full length episodes on their website. Currently Youtube only show small clips of the networks shows.

It looks like YouTube does not want to be left behind in the online TV wars after fierce rival Hulu wants to start broadcasting internationally showing full length content.

Added to the mix is news that Sony Pictures are also considering showing full length streams on Googles flagship video site. Whilst YouTube are remaining quiet regarding any deals, Sony have commented:- “YouTube’s aim is to do something with long form. We are in discussions with it about that”.

Youtube are still looking for a profit making website and the big bucks seem to be in premium content rather than the selection of funny shorts they are famous for.

As the online TV landscape takes shape, it will be decisions like these that will either kill a video sharing site or make it thrive. There are only so many TV content providers in the world and the online TV sites are all jostling to get into bed with them.

And just imagine, if Youtube can start streaming UK TV then instead of just showing the Susan Boyle video clip, they can stream the whole Britains got Talent show.

Hulu UK launch has a hitch

Matt — Thu, 21 May 2009 08:53:19 +0000

The much anticipated and long overdue UK launch of internet tv, catch up tv and general video website Hulu has, we hear hit a stumbling block over advertising revenue of course.

The video giant wants the right to sell advertising space on the UK version but TV networks Channel 4 and ITV who own much of the content that will be broadcast dont want to play ball.

Reports suggest that the UK based networks are looking to have control over the ads that get shown before, during and after their content gets streamed.

Hulu is currently making deals left, right and centre. They just finished on a deal with Endemol and Digital Rights Group bringing UK shows like Green Wing and Peep Show to US watchers. The deal also helps make the UK launch happen as the users there will want to see a selection of both domestic and international streams that Hulu has in its locker.

This glitch is just thought to be part of the negotiating process and the deal is still on but Hulu will have to give a little more control over ads and revenue. The UK networks are currently having a very hard time during this ‘credit crunch’.

The UK networks are also encouraged by the fact that Channel 4 made a deal recently with Google allowing them control of ad sales on its Youtube content. This deal was a first between the UK TV broadcasters and Youtube and is expected to be the first of many as the internet TV landscape evolves.

From the side of Hulu, they are desperate to go international and secure more premium tv streams, so Channel 4 and ITV are in a very strong position.

Does’nt help if your sitting in the UK waiting to watch that great Hulu content though does it?

10% growth in UK internet TV viewers

Matt — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:19:37 +0000

Comscore has released new figures showing the UK internet tv and video watching audience has increased by a 10% margin during the last 12 months to an impressive 29.6 million unique viewers. This is an impressive figure for a country with a population of around 61 million.

The most viewed websites are shown below. The figures show the top 10 online video sites for broadband users in the UK during January 2009. Ranks shown by number of unique viewers during this timeframe:-

1st – YouTube – 23,523,000

2nd – BBC’s iPlayer – 6,771,000

3rd – Microsoft (MSN) – 4,344,000

4th – Facebook – 3,582,000

5th – Yahoo – 2,998,000

6th – Amazon – 2,945,000

7th – Fox Interactive Media – 2,587,000

8th – AOL – 2,198,000

9th – Megavideo.com – 2,189,000

10th – Metacafe – 1,940,000

A massive 4 billion videos views for January 2009, in the UK. Nearly 100 million of these were viewed on the websites of the top five TV networks (BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, and Sky TV).

Of these most were viewed using the BBC’s iPlayer which has been a resounding success capturing 54.7% of the market amongst the networks, next came Channel 4 with 23.8%, ITV websites with 13.6%, Sky TV 6.8% followed by Five with 1.1%.

The research also found that of the entire UK internet users, 80.1% have watched internet tv and video, this equals around 280 million hours of video streaming for the month.

Now time for a nice cup of tea in time for the next stream.

Channel 4 launching a new catchup tv service

Matt — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:18:22 +0000

After the death of the catch up tv project ‘Kangaroo’, Channel 4 (one of the partners in the proposed deal) are revamping there online TV service known as 4oD.

Project Kangaroo, the TV on demand service proposed by BBC, Channel 4 and ITV was blocked by the Competition Commission last week because it would create a monopoly and stifle any competition in this emerging market.

The new catchup TV service will run alongside the existing 4oD, the existing TV on demand service that lets viewers in the UK view any program broadcast in the previous 30 days free of charge.

Incorporating the popular Flash technology media player, the service will run straight from Channel 4′s website rather than as a downloaded application.

Currently the 4oD service involves downloading a player application that runs on P2P technology to watch catch up TV. The current application will continue to be available, offering premium TV and movie streams.

Spokesman for Channel 4 Andy Pipes said:- “Visitors will be able to watch full length episodes directly in the page. This is a departure from our current pop out experience and should ensure all the information around a programme is available in one place, where the user is watching the episode.”

This development comes as channel 4 ramps up its online TV presence, seen by many as the future for broadcasting. The UK public are taking to online TV technology in droves. During the last year users have seen over 180 million TV shows through the BBC’s iPlayer â€“ the most successful catch up tv service in the UK currently.

Research has shown that most online tv viewing now is used by viewers looking to watch a missed show.

Incoming TV searches:

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