Channel 4 to close SD channel next month in move to digital-first business
Only a very small number of viewers will be affected, the channel says.
Channel 4 will be closing the SD version of its main channel, Channel 4, on satellite next month as part of its ongoing pivot to becoming a digital-first business, the broadcaster has exclusively revealed to RadioTimes.com.
The move comes soon after a number of other broadcasters including ITV and Sky have adopted the same approach and will just affect a small number of viewers – with the channels only set to become unavailable in Sky and Freesat households watching via very old legacy devices.
A statement from a Channel 4 spokesperson reads: "We are changing the technology we use to broadcast our channels to Sky and Freesat households – ensuring we are delivering the highest quality HD viewing experience to all, and, opening up the potential for new services in the future.
"With Sky customers being encouraged to move to HD boxes, this will affect only a very small number of viewers. This follows similar moves by ITV and Sky earlier this year. All our channels, along with a wide range of on-demand content, are also available on Channel 4 streaming via smart TVs, mobile, tablets and PCs."
The statement also explains that Sky customers are able to upgrade to new equipment at no cost and says there will be no changes on Freeview and Virgin Media, while satellite viewers with HD boxes are unaffected. There will also be no change to EPG numbers.
The move will start later this month, and by late November Channel 4 will be available only in HD on all platforms except Freeview and YouView.
Some of Channel 4 channels will no longer be available to the very small number of viewers using older Sky and Freesat boxes (but will remain available to all satellite customer groups) starting later this month, culminating in a loss of all channels by late November.
Channel 4 will become available only in HD on all platforms – except Freeview / YouView – from the end of November.
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Meanwhile, Channel 4 has also announced that it will be giving its streaming platform a major overhaul, which is also part of its digital-first approach.
According to Broadcast, the changes will modernise the platform and incorporate a number of personalisation features as it looks to become more closely aligned with the biggest streamers including Netflix and Prime.
The channel announced in January this year that it planned to become a "genuinely digital-first public service streamer" by 2030, adopting a strategy called Fast Forward, which is designed to ensure that the broadcaster embraces what it called the "generational shift that is taking place in TV viewing".
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
