Channel 4 to hold back from connected TV

Channel 4 has said that it will be taking a step back from further exploring connected TV experiences because of limited uptake from viewers, according to a report in Broadcast magazine.

In 2010 the channel set aside £2 million to work with connected TV innovations, however the broadcaster has said that it will instead focus on more popular areas, including games, which Channel 4’s head of online Richard Davidson-Houston has said are an increasingly vital area for Channel 4.

“We have an interesting portfolio of stuff, but we were starting to see our own footprints in the snow,” Davidson-Houston told Broadcast.

“The adoption rate was not as fast or game-changing as we anticipated. The way people use connected TVs is to watch TV; activity is happening on other screens,” he said.

Earlier this year the BBC announced that it will be putting its 3D project on hold, also due to lack of interest from the public.