The terrestrial channels are fighting to hold onto their share and it is therefore no surprise that Channel 4 has spread its wings a little further with the launch of digital station More4. With a £33m programming budget and the backing of C4's biggest marketing campaign to date, can the station live up to the hype?
More4 is targeting the affluent, broad-minded 30-plus market. However, is More4, as its name suggests, just more of Channel 4's programming, offering countless repeats? Or does it actually present the viewer with something different?
The signs are good; two-thirds of the programming budget is committed to original UK dramas and documentaries, and the launch night averaged a promising 2% of viewing in multi-channel homes across its schedule.
The extended, more analytical news coverage presented by Sarah Smith and produced by ITN is sure to appeal. Even the shows that are repeats, such as Grand Designs and ER, have a strong inheritance factor attaching them to their audience.
I am hopeful, therefore, that More4 can follow in the success enjoyed by E4 and offer a slightly different audience to the advertiser in what is an increasingly fragmented marketplace.
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