Channel 4’s new digital entertainment channel, E4, is still awaiting board approval but expectation of its launch has already forced other major broadcasters to look carefully at their digital entertainment offerings. BSkyB decided to reposition Sky One after it lost the rights to Friends and ER to the new venture (see Sky One To Compete For Mainstream Audience), and this week the BBC has announced a repositioning of BBC Choice towards a more focused entertainment channel.
Channel 4 is currently laying the groundwork for E4, with a launch date expected this winter. With the Warner Brothers deal under its belt (see Channel 4 Steals Friends And ER Rights From Sky), the group is now looking around for further content deals. E4 will also show narrative repeats of C4 programmes but Matt Baker, a spokesperson for the channel, emphasised that it would not become another UK Gold. “There will be a synergy with Channel 4 content but with a slightly bigger budget we will be looking around for more original material to commission,” he said.
Unlike its sister channel Film Four, it will not be a premium channel, but will be distributed free-to-air to allow access to the greatest number of viewers. The current head of entertainment at Channel 4, Kevin Lygo, has been appointed controller of programming and will combine the two roles, while Andrew Newman has been appointed head of programmes.
Its target age range will be 16-24, which is slightly younger than Sky One viewers, whose largest audience (34%) comes from the 25-34 category. As Sky One pushes itself further into the mainstream, E4 will be in a perfect position to corner this specific youth market.
The BBC, however, has responded to the imminence of E4 by aiming for the older bracket of the youth market. The target age range for BBC Choice is to be tightened to 25-40 year olds, after BBC executives felt it lacked a specific identity. It is aiming for an older audience interested in series’ such as This Life and Cold Feet. The change is part of an overall repositioning of the corporation’s digital output.
Channel 4: 020 7396 4444 BBC: 020 8743 8000
