Original Remit of Channel 4 in the UK Television - Case Study Example

 Channel Four Introduction Channel 4 has been one of the most popular channels in the UK television. The channel was started in 1982 with the help of the subscriptions from the ITV companies. The ITV companies then sold the airtime of Channel 4. The channel has been successful because of the introduction of programs that kept a balance between the popular and the minority tastes. Channel 4 was the only channel in the UK to broadcast the shows of the US television. It was set up to rival the popularity of the BBC and the ITV and has stood up to its promise. The introduction of programs like the Brass Eye, The Tube, Treasure Hunt, Brookside etc have been able to draw large viewers. The recent reality show of the Big Brother has been a huge hit among the viewers of the UK. From its humble beginnings, the channel has matured to one of the most popular channels in the UK. In 1995, Brookside attracted nine million viewers. “Four Weddings and a Funeral” drew eleven million viewers. These programs have been an integral part of the success of the channel. The channel has been following its remit in the broadcast of its programs. The remit of the company as stated in its website is as follows: “Foster the new and experimental in television.  It will encourage pluralism, provide a favored place for the untried and encourage innovation in style content perspective and talent on and off screen”. (Twenty years of Channel 4; Statement of promises). The paper will look into the viability of the remit of the channel and will analyze if the channel follows it in the modern day. Channel 4’s Policy of the programs and its remit Throughout its history, the channel has been introducing programs that have been hardly viewed by the people of the UK earlier. The remit of the channel has been to introduce innovation in the programs in the channel. The channel has a full repertoire of programs ranging from drama, films, comedy, documentaries etc. Channel 4 has covered almost all the genres of entertainment. The channel has been targeting the youth with its programs, which has been attacked by Sir Jeremy Isaacs, the founder of the channel. In his words, "To target and reach a demographically clearly defined audience - the 18-35 year-olds - and single-mindedly commission a bulk of programmes that suits their tastes, however laddish or yobbish." (Twenty years of Channel 4) The choice of the programs in the case of the channel has been increasingly linked to the needs of the younger generation. The use of the adultery, sex etc. in the programs has been popular. This has been seen in the case of all the genres of the programs. In the case of comedy, the programs like “Balls of Steel” have a rich content of adult humor. The program invites the comedians to perform in front of the studio viewers. The comedians are encouraged to promote jokes of adult content. This has been popular among the newer generation. The “Comedy Lab” is also a similar show promoting the talent of the new comedians. (Comedy on 4oD) One of the subjects for the channel has been the question of innovation. In the first part of its history, the channel has promoted several programs like the “Brass eye” that has projected the morals of the people in the UK. The show had been packaged as a comedy by the host Chris Morris. The show has been popular and has been still running in the channel. However, in the recent years, the channel has not been able to churn out newer programs that are innovative in nature. The “Comedy Lab” and the “Balls of Steel” are kinds of talent hunt shows. Most of the channels have talent hunt shows aired. The channel has not been offering different content. Other programs like the “Free Agents” are comedy soaps. However, there have been some programs that have been really innovative in nature like the “Fonejacker”. This program is one of its kinds and no other channel has a similar program like this. Some of the programs which are not so innovative may be aired to keep the viewer ship of the channel intact. (Comedy on 4oD) In the case of the documentaries, the channel has maintained the innovation part in its programs. Different documentaries have been aired in channel that is distinctively different from that of the other channels. Documentaries like the “Secret Millionaire” are new in content and have been able to attract a good amount of viewer ship. In the documentary, the millionaires who have relinquished the lives of comforts and have gone to the needy are projected. Different programs projecting the pasty of the different countries are also shown in the channel. One of the hardest hitting documentaries of the channel has been “Body shock” where the physical abnormalities of different people are shown. The channel has a rich content of informative documentaries like “The Curse of the Hope Diamond” and “UFOs: the secret evidence”. The programs in the documentaries section also include some of the rarest information on the drug markets in Latin America, the conditions in Afghanistan etc. Some of the programs are innovative and hard hitting like “Erasing David” where the protagonist tries to disappear from the earth for a month. Different agencies are trying to find him. Another program “A Bipolar Expedition” projects a man to be convinced by women for marriage. These are innovative programs in the channel, which has been markedly different from that of the other channels. One of the most popular shows of the modern era “Big Brother” is showcased in the channel. This is a reality show where the participants are made to stay in a house. Different conflicts develop among the participants and eventually a winner emerges. (Programmes: Documentaries) In the modern television circle, the dramas have been one of the most popular programs. They are normally daily soaps and have a wide viewer ship. In the case of Channel 4 also, the section of drama has been one of the more profitable divisions. The channel has shown some of the best watched dramas in the history like the “Brookside”. The channel has transported some of the best watched American soaps in the UK arena. This has been profitable for the channel. Programs like “Desperate Housewives” and “Dirty Sexy Money” have been popular feeds for the UK viewers. The channel has also been innovative in some of the programs like “Coming Up” where the upcoming directors are given opportunity to project their skills. (Programmes: Drama) The channel also broadcasts different films of every genre which has been popular among the masses. The News program is the other important segment of the channel. If the programs of the channel are analyzed then it can be seen that the channel has maintained a definite stance on the innovative programs. However, the amount of the innovative programs in the channel has decreased from the past. In the drama category, the channel imports programs largely from the American television. These programs are popular in both UK and the USA. These programs give profits to the channel. However, in this case the channel is not innovating new products. It is following the path of the other channels to attract the viewers. The best running programs in the channel has been innovative in content and have been shown only in Channel 4. The channel has flooded its airtime with reality shows. Some of the reality shows have been innovative but the concepts are similar to the programs shown in the other channels. Perhaps, the biggest trait of innovativeness from the channel has been seen in the case of the documentaries. Some of the documentaries aired by the channel have been very innovative in nature. These types of programs are not seen in the other channels. The other department that has been innovative is the comedy. The comedy section has been one of the most important departments of the channel with innovative hard hitting programs. The remit of the channel has been to show innovative programs that are not seen in any other channels. The present programs of the channel do not fully coincide with the remit of the channel. Only some of the programs are innovative in nature. The others are copies from the programs of the other channels. Perhaps, this has been the reason for the decrease in the viewer ship of the channel in the recent years. It continues to fulfill the original remit only to an extent. The channel has been maintaining a balance between the choice of the majority and the minority. The need for innovativeness The competition in the television arena has increased with the growth of various channels. Different channels have been vying for the major viewer ship and airtime. The main aim of the companies has been to increase the profits. This can be done only with the help of increased viewer ship. The picture in the television arena has been similar to that of the other business fields. The customers are flooded with offers from the various companies. In the same way, the viewers have been flooded with programs from various channels. There are numerous choices in the hands of the viewers. In the present scenario, the viewers or the customers will only be attracted to the products if they offer something different. They will only view the programs when they know they cannot view it elsewhere. There should be distinctiveness among the programs. The satisfaction of the customers has been the main aim of the companies around the world. The satisfaction of the customers can be gained with the help of distinctiveness. On the contrary, it can be argued that the modern viewers are more attracted towards the soap dramas. The channels around the world have been promoting the soaps to attract the viewer ship. The concepts of the soaps have been similar all around the world. However, it has to be stated that the soaps that has some amount of uniqueness have been successful. In the case of the Channel 4, the majority of the soaps have been transported from the American television. This is blocking the innovativeness of the channel. The viewers can have the latest versions of the programs in the other channels. Therefore, they will not be able to attract the same amount of viewer ship in the case of the channel. In the case of the soaps also, the channel should maintain an amount of uniqueness in the character. In the case of Channel 4, the programs that have been unique have been successful. The customers are aware of the distinctiveness of the program and the number of viewers increase. The reality show “Big Brother” has been a hit because of the distinctiveness of the program. The viewers knew they would not be able to view the same kind of program in the other channels. Therefore, they flocked in this kind of programs. It can be stated that the remit of Channel 4 is still relevant in the wake of the modern industry. The copied programs may be successful in the short run but to be successful the programs need to be unique and innovative in character. Conclusions The viewer ship of Channel 4 has decreased in the recent years. This has been due to the increased essence given to a definite group of viewers. The channel has decreased its content of innovative programs, which has been a direct conflict with its remit. The main aim of the channel has been to supply innovative programs. Somehow, the channel has not adhered to the principle fully. Only a handful of programs have been innovative in character. Most of the programs occupying the prime time are copy of the other programs. To be successful, there should be uniqueness and innovativeness in the programs. This has been proved by the success of “Big Brother”. 1. Twenty years of Channel 4, "Channel 4 has recorded its first financial loss in 10 years. BBC News Online looks back at its history". BBC News. n.d. Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1959582.stm (Accessed on 2nd June, 2010) 2. Statement of promises, "CHANNEL 4'S STATEMENT OF PROMISES". Channel 4. n.d. Available at: http://www.channel4.com/about_c4/promises_2001/promises_intro2.html (Accessed on 2nd June, 2010) 3. Comedy on 4oD, Channel 4. n.d. Available at: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/themes/comedy-on-4 (Accessed on 2nd June, 2010) 4. Programmes: Documentaries, "Channel 4-documentaries". Channel 4. n.d. Available at: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/tags/documentaries (Accessed on 2nd June, 2010) 5. Programmes: Drama, "Channel 4-drama". Channel 4. n.d. Available at: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/tags/drama (Accessed on 2nd June, 2010) Read More