C4 First To Simulcast TV Content Online
Channel 4 will be the first major UK broadcaster to simulcast its television output online, according to chief executive Andy Duncan.
The new broadband simulcast will be available to PC users from 27 June via the channel4.com website. Registered users will be able to access a streamed live version of the Channel 4 schedule, allowing them to watch Channel 4’s flagship shows at the same time as their TV transmission.
At launch the service will not include acquired programmes and films and will carry the same commercials as the Channel 4 TV service, although Channel 4 has plans to sell advertising spots on the service in due course.
Speaking at the New Statesmen annual media lecture last night, Duncan said that the digital revolution is a “a fantastic opportunity to build on what Channel 4 has always done; stimulate, infuriate, debate, create.
“The difference is we’re doing it in many more ways than just via broadcast these days, because we have to engage with the public wherever they are.”
Rod Henwood, new business director at the station, added: “Viewing video via the PC is fast becoming a reality and the popularity of our existing online video offering proves that a strong demand for watching programming online already exists.
“Launching our broadband simulcast service will enhance our offering still further and is evidence that Channel 4 is leading the way in providing new media services that viewers actually want.”
The launch of the broadband simulcast follows on from Channel 4’s first foray into pay-per-view VOD services. Since May, Channel 4 has been partnering with Disney to offer an on-demand catch-up service for hit US acquisitions Lost and Desperate Housewives, making it the first broadcaster outside the US to strike such a deal with a US studio.
In January of this year, Channel 4 premiered its sitcom The IT Crowd online, attracting 400,000 separate views across six episodes (see Channel 4 Heralds The IT Crowd An Online Hit).
Today’s news follows the broadcaster’s new media rights deal with Pact, which allows it to show its television programmes on the internet for 30 days after they are broadcast (see C4 Wins Battle To Screen Shows Online), and the news that the channel has launched its new online radio station (see C4 Makes History With Radio Launch).
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