Time-Shifted Channels For C4, Five Life And Five US

Channel 4 has announced that it will be the first of the main terrestrial TV stations to introduce a time-shifted digital channel, whilst Five is to launch two +1 services for its digital offerings, Five Life and Five US.

Channel 4+1 will begin on 20 August on Freeview, Sky and Virgin, whilst Five Life +1 and Five US +1 will launch on Sky in early autumn this year.

Andy Duncan, the Channel 4 chief executive, said: “This gives our viewers another opportunity to watch Channel 4’s high-quality content whilst ensuring maximum value from our investment in commissioned programming.”

Meanwhile, Five’s CEO, Jane Lighting, said she was delighted by the boost the time-shifted channels would offer the stations.

The two Five digital channels launched in October 2006 (see Five Unveils Biggest Marketing Campaign In Channel’s History), and have proved rather successful for the broadcaster.

Five US showcases the best of American TV including films, the CSI franchise and more recently House, and is set to exclusively air the critically-acclaimed hit American show, Dirt, starring Courteney Cox.

Five Life offers a mix of acquired and originated drama, entertainment and factual programming and includes Aussie soap Home and Away, and talk shows Trisha Goddard and The Wright Stuff.

There are around 40 such time-shifted channels on Sky Digital, including “+1” versions of ITV2, ITV3, More4 and Film4.

On digital terrestrial platform Freeview, there are versions of E4, Film4 and ITV2 – the latter recently launched in place of betting channel ITV Play (see ITV Axes Quiz Channel).

At the beginning of the year, Five announced it would replace Nick Thorogood, then controller of Five Life and Five US, with Hannah Barnes, who was managing editor of Sky One, Two and Three (see Five Digital Controller Replaced).

Channel 4: 020 7396 4444 www.channel4.com Five: 020 7550 5555 www.five.tv