Channel 4 has announced a major rebrand that will bring all its channels and services under one ‘Channel 4’ brand.
The new branding, which will come into service next year, will “help audiences better navigate the abundance of choice in the digital world and find their favourite Channel 4 shows wherever and whenever they choose to watch content.”
Channel 4’s streaming service ‘All 4’ will change to ‘Channel 4’ as Channel 4 becomes the first UK broadcaster to adopt one brand identity across its digital and linear channels as audiences increasingly no longer distinguish between digital and linear content.
Channel 4’s entire portfolio of channels will also align with the ‘Channel 4’ brand, although so far Channel 4 has declined to give details about the specifics of how this may affect linear channels, or how it may affect the existing branding of established channels such as Film 4 and E4.
Quizzed at a media briefing earlier this week, C4 chief marketing officer Zaid Al-Qassab said: “That’s not something we’re announcing at the moment. We are looking at how all of the linear channels play into this strategy and evolve over the course of 2023 to fall under this strategy. There is more news to come on linear channels.”
The brand transformation follows Channel 4’s commitment to prioritise digital growth, place viewers at the heart of its decision-making and renew its relationship with young audiences as part of its Future4 strategy launched two years ago.
Al-Qassab added: “As Channel 4 turns 40, we’re responding to the challenge of an increasingly crowded content market by using our most powerful asset, the Channel 4 brand. The creation of a singular brand vision will better serve our viewers and help futureproof the channel to make sure we’re able to continue to take creative risks for the next 40 years.
“We want to become the viewers’ North Star in the digital world. A valued curator to help them navigate to a destination full of entertaining and thoughtful content they know they can trust.”
New idents have been commissioned as part of the brand transformation. Working in collaboration with a number of British artists and filmmakers, Channel 4’s award-winning 4creative will seek to represent the UK, its culture and mentality to present an unexpected and daring portrait of Britain retold.
Channel 4’s free streaming service remains the UK’s biggest and last year its huge library of distinctive content drove record-breaking performance. The service hit 1.5bn views in 2021 – an increase of +21 per cent year-on-year.
Channel 4 is also a trusted curator of digital content for young people with four-out-of-five of all 16-34-year-olds in the UK registered with Channel 4’s streaming service – and 11bn views across 25,000 pieces of content served by 4Studio to young people on their favourite social platforms last year. The recent launches of Channel 4.0 focused on reaching 13-24 year-olds and the news strand Untold will further support Channel 4’s enduring connection with young audiences.
The brand transformation will begin from spring 2023.
