 Logo used since 2018 | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | United Kingdom and Ireland |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV (downscaled to16:9576i for theSDTV feed) |
| Timeshift service | E4 +1 |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Channel Four Television Corporation |
| Sister channels | |
| History | |
| Launched | 18 January 2001; 24 years ago (18 January 2001) |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| See separate section | |
| Channel 4 |
|---|
_2023.svg) Channel 4 Logo |
| Television channels |
| Former channels |
| Online services |
| Other |
E4 is a Britishfree-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated byChannel Four Television Corporation. The "E" stands forentertainment and the channel is primarily aimed at the 16–34 age group (similarly toBBC Three,ITV2,5Star,Sky One,Universal TV,Comedy Central andDave).
Programmes currently shown on the channel includeHollyoaks,[1]Made in Chelsea,[2]Coach Trip (and its Halloween spin-offCelebrity Ghost Trip),[3] The most successful broadcast of the channel to date was on 11 October 2010 when an episode ofThe Inbetweeners received over 3.7 million viewers.[4]
E4 was announced in 1999, when Channel 4 announced a £100 million deal to acquire the first run pay TV rights to popular American seriesFriends andER fromSky One; the deal was meant to strengthen the new channel.[5] Rights to both shows were originally owned by Channel 4 upon their 1995 UK debuts, but became shared with Sky a year later.
_logo.svg){kind=logo}
E4 launched as a pay television companion toChannel 4 on 18 January 2001, at 8:15pm, withFriends andER leading the first night, alongside the premiere ofBanzai. The first evening of programmes was fronted byAli G.
On 16 December 2004, Channel 4 announced that the subscription channel would become a free-to-air television channel by launching on the digital terrestrial television system. The switch took place on 27 May 2005 to coincide with the launch ofBig Brother 6 later that evening.[6]
E4 launched an Ireland service in June 2002, which has become the second most popular non-terrestrial channel in Ireland with 1.1% of the audience;Sky Max is the most popular.[7] On 14 July 2003, E4 launched a timeshift service, E4 +1. E4 +1 is a 1-hour timeshift.[8]
In August 2005, following the close of that year'sBig Brother, E4 introduced theE4 Music programming block. The slot initially ran through much of the morning/daytime schedule, though was later reduced to mornings only, with the amount of scripted comedy and drama screened in daytime increased. Prior to the launch ofE4 Music, E4 was off-air during daytime for much of the year, only going on air in daytime for rolling coverage of reality series such asBig Brother. In 2008, the launch of4Music as a channel led to questions being asked about the future ofE4 Music. However, E4 retained its commitment to music content, stating thatE4 Music had been commissioned to run until at least the start ofBig Brother in 2009.[9] At 10 am on Thursday 4 June 2009, the day before the launch of the 2009Big Brother series,E4 Music ceased broadcasting.
In July 2007, it was announced Channel 4 would be launchingE4 Radio, the first of a network of channels to be broadcast onDAB radio. The station was planned for launch in July 2008 and aimed at a similar demographic to its television channel,[10] however this launch date was later delayed. In October 2008, Channel 4 announced it was abandoning its plans for digital radio, and thus scrapping the E4 Radio proposal.
On 14 December 2009, ahigh-definitionsimulcast of E4 launched onSky+ HD channel 215, it was later added to Virgin Media on 1 April 2010.[11][12] On 31 October 2013, E4 premiered a refreshed look as part of the channel's rebranding. This coincided with the debut of the seventh season ofThe Big Bang Theory, as well as the debut of original comedyDrifters.[13]
On 27 September 2018, E4 and its sister digital channels underwent a major rebranding, adopting a new logo derived from Channel 4'sLambie-Nairn-designed "4" logo.[14] On 14 January 2019, Channel 4 announced a partnership withWarnerMedia to carry programmes fromAdult Swim, such asRick and Morty, on E4 and All4.[15]
On 25 September 2021, transmission of channels operated by Channel 4 was impacted by theactivation of a fire suppressant system at the premises ofRed Bee Media.[16] This resulted in music channelThe Box being simulcast on Freeview in the place of4Music (a channel known for repeating comedy and reality shows previously shown on E4) and E4+1 remaining off air for a number of days.[17] E4+1 came back on air on 30 September 2021, in time for the series 6 finale ofMarried At First Sight to be broadcast. However the ongoing technical problems prevented this episode being shown, with a repeat of the previous episode being broadcast instead. The final episode was rescheduled for 1 October 2021 at 9pm on E4, taking over the Friday night film slot, withMarried at First Sight: Afters scheduled for 10pm.[18][19]
On 13 June 2022, it was announced that a new sister network –E4 Extra, would launch on 29 June in the slot accompanied by4Music.[20] E4 Extra is dedicated to comedy programming, with already existing comedy programmes such asThe Big Bang Theory moving to the new channel, alongside the entertainment programming that airs on 4Music, which will move to the slot accompanied byBox Hits and transition back to a full-time music channel, before 4Music closed on 30 June 2024.[21]
When E4 launched in 2001, its flagship programmes were the sitcomFriends and medical drama seriesER. Other launch programmes included new teen dramaAs If and various other popular and acclaimed US dramas such asThe Sopranos andThe West Wing.The Adam and Joe Show moved from Channel 4 to E4, and the pair also presented a revival of their original show,Takeover TV. A few months after the channel's launch, E4 launchedBig Brother's Little Brother - a spin-off from the reality showBig Brother (which ran on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2010, and is now broadcast on ITV) which proved successful for the channel. The channel also dedicated whole nights early in its history to marathons of certain programmes, such asSpaced andBrass Eye.
As of 2023, most comedy and drama had been moved (or, in the case ofBrooklyn Nine-Nine, had come to an end) with weekday evening slots being given over increasingly to reality and unscripted programming – a mixture of original series (such asTeen Mum Academy and the 2022 revival ofEmbarrassing Bodies), first-run imports such as theBelow Deck franchise, and repeated Channel 4 series, withNaked Attraction andGogglebox in particular being especially prominent in primetime. Sitcom reruns (and some first-run imports, such asThe Neighborhood) by now chiefly aired on E4 in daytime and onE4 Extra in the evening.
On 6 January 2025, American animated comedy seriesThe Simpsons began airing on E4, after being broadcast on Channel 4 for 20 years since its debut in November 2004, making the animated show and Hollyoaks to reunite after the British drama is moved from Channel 4 for one year.[22][23]
The channel has also moved many of its acquired US shows such asHarley Quinn,Batwoman,The Goldbergs andDuncanville[24] out of peak and put them in a daytime or a late night slot to continue their seasons. In their place, the channel has decided to strip a number of reality and dating series, with the channel's flagship programme beingMarried At First Sight UK,[25] which has brought in audiences of around 2 million people each night to the channel, having moved from the flagship Channel 4.Married At First Sight UK is part of a franchise which also includes the importedMarried at First Sight Australia and spin-offMarried at First Sight UK: Afters withAJ Odudu.[26]
Even though E4 has decided to move a lot of its acquired US programmes to overnight slots, there are some notable exceptions, withRick and Morty heavily promoted and shown in primetime, whilst repeats ofThe Big Bang Theory and new episodes of spin-offYoung Sheldon are also shown in peak slots,[27] while repeats of shows such asBrooklyn Nine-Nine andModern Family fill up the daytime schedule.[28][29]
In November 2021,Channel Four Television Corp. revivedGamesMaster after 23 years, withSir Trevor McDonald taking on the title role from the original "Games Master",Sir Patrick Moore.[30][31] It also revealed that another one of its former primetime imports,The 100, will end its run by having the final season put out by E4 each night around 3:25am from Saturday 27 November 2021.[32] This came about after the initial plan to play the final season on4Music – as had been promoted in on-air trails in the weeks prior – was scrapped when the Red Bee incident disrupted transmission of programming on 4Music for over a month.[citation needed]
After hosting repeats of the weekly Channel 4 satire panel show8 Out of 10 Cats with Jimmy Carr, Sean Lock and Jon Richardson for many years, the production was adapted to become a title which debuted new episodes on E4 in 2017 (as the parent channel focused on its spin-off...Cats Does Countdown).[33] The version on E4 dispensed with the topical news questioning of later Channel 4 series and went back to being a show about random statistics and opinion polls, with Jimmy Carr continuing as host, alongside Rob Beckett and Aisling Bea as the team captains (replacing Lock and Richardson, who continued with the spin-off).[34] As of 2022, titles such asThe Inbetweeners still get repeated in a regular peaktime slot, alongside repeats of Channel 4'sTaskmaster.[35][36]
The following is a list of the ten most watched shows on E4, based on Live +7 data supplied byBARB up to 11 November 2018.[4] The number of viewers does not include repeats or airings on E4+1.
| Rank | Series | Episode | Viewers | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Inbetweeners | 3.05 – "Home Alone" | 3,721,000 | 11 October 2010 |
| 2 | 3.06 – "The Camping Trip" | 3,704,000 | 18 October 2010 | |
| 3 | 3.04 – "The Trip to Warwick" | 3,619,000 | 4 October 2010 | |
| 4 | 3.03 – "Will's Dilemma" | 3,572,000 | 27 September 2010 | |
| 5 | 3.01 – "The Fashion Show" | 3,456,000 | 13 September 2010 | |
| 6 | 3.02 – "The Gig and the Girlfriend" | 3,336,000 | 20 September 2010 | |
| 7 | The Big Bang Theory | 6.01 – "The Date Night Variable" | 2,803,000 | 15 November 2012 |
| 8 | Married at First Sight UK | 6.13 | 2,750,000 | 20 September 2021 |
| 9 | The Big Bang Theory | 9.05 – "The Perspiration Implementation" | 2,728,000 | 26 November 2015 |
| 10 | 9.12 – "The Sales Call Sublimination" | 2,688,000 | 24 March 2016 |
Between 2001 and 2010 when the reality seriesBig Brother (andCelebrity Big Brother) were being transmitted onChannel 4, E4 devoted much of its schedule to live coverage from inside theBig Brother house; interactive features that gave access to additional camera angles have also been transmitted.[37] The channel also hadBig Brother voting options,Big Brother spin-off shows such asBig Brother Live,Big Brother's Little Brother,Big Brother's Big Mouth,Diary Room Uncut andBig Brother highlights repeats.[38] In June 2020, to mark the 20th anniversary ofBig Brother's inception, E4 aired select episodes from both the civilian and celebrity programmes, in a series titledBig Brother: Best Shows Ever. Hosted byDavina McCall andRylan Clark-Neal, the first episode of the series received one million viewers.[39]
In 2022, as part of its season of Australian reality shows, E4 showed the 2021 series ofBig Brother VIP on the channel under the nameCelebrity Big Brother Australia.[40] Launching on Sunday 6 February 2022 at 8pm[41] and then scheduled every weekday at 7:30pm,[42][43][44][45] the programme lasted for four episodes on the channel, before it was taken off mid-series and replaced by a number of 'best of' compilations taken fromJunior Bake Off.[46][47][48]
In June 2022, Channel 4 announced that their music and entertainment channel4Music's current channel slots would be replaced by a spinoff channel called E4 Extra on 29 June 2022,[49][50][51] with 4Music taking Box Hits' slots on Freesat and Sky.[52] With the change, E4 Extra will take entertainment shows likeThe Big Bang Theory,The Inbetweeners andDerry Girls and will add unscripted reality shows likeLegendary,Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares,Ninja Warrior Japan andUndercover Boss USA, while 4Music will go back to being a music channel.[citation needed]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| Television channels | |
|---|---|
| Former channels | |
| Online services | |
| Other | |