Channel 4 Tests Interactivity Through Music Offering
Channel 4 has announced the launch of its new music strand, E4 Music Zone, acting as a test bed for the latest interactive techniques and signalling the broadcasters increased commitment to music across all of its platforms. The zone will be broadcast from 6am to 2pm daily, resulting in E4 being available to viewers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
E4 Music Zone will have interactivity at its core, with viewers being encouraged to become ‘presenters’ by voting for favourite tracks and texting videophone messages for broadcast in the zone. The zone will be divided into different programmes with themes such as celebrity play lists, chart shows and the music industry’s hottest new talents.
Commenting on the launch, Andy Duncan, chief executive of Channel 4 said: “Channel 4 has always had a strong heritage in music programming and we’ll be making a record investment in the genre in 2005.”
Channel 4 will spend more than £10 million on live and commissioned music programming for the core Channel 4 service, broadcasting more hours of music than ever before. The broadcaster has furthered its music reach by expanding its coverage of existing events, including the first ever O2 Wireless Festival, T4 on the Beach and the V Festival.
“The launch of E4 Music Zone is part of our strategy to increase our commitment to music across all platforms, with a significant uplift in both the hours and budget for programming on Channel 4 itself and our new website, channel4.com/music, which is a fantastically imaginative and well-resourced site for fans of every type of music” Duncan said.
Channel 4 New Media has invested over £1 million into channel4.com/music, offering exclusive content, new music, celebrities, competitions and gossip. The site will support the 750 hours of programming broadcast on Channel 4 each year and aims to become one of the leading destination music websites across the UK.
Julian Bellamy, head of E4 said: “Music is very important to the majority of E4 viewers and we hope this new programming will help strengthen our relationship with our existing audience as well as attract a new one.”
He added: “This opportunity to try out the very latest in interactive services on young, technologically savvy viewers should provide a fantastic bed to develop the best interactive music services available.”
Recently Channel 4 completed a deal with UBC Media, giving the broadcaster a 51% interest in UBC’s national radio station, Oneword, for £1 million, making further progress in the creation of a Channel 4 led radio operation and extending C4’s music services (see Oneword Deal Completed With Channel 4).
Last month, Channel 4 confirmed that it will launch E4, as well as its timeshifted counterpart, E4+1, on the Freeview platform to coincide with the start of the sixth series of Big Brother at the end of May, filling the broadcasters quota for digital channels on the Freeview platform (see E4 Set For Freeview Launch Next Month).
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