[orange]

E4 is patronisingly lame now - i’m still in the target audience being in my twenties, but I’ve grown up with the channel. It definitely used to feel like it had more of a tongue in cheek personality and an edge, and was more of the alternative youth channel - while the latter two (ITV2/BBC3) definitely felt more ordinary. It’s definitely not the same channel that produced stuff like Skins.

The channel now feels more targeted towards that 16-18 year old demographic rather than anything else - it literally feels like what would happen if you told an AI to make a youth channel. It will be interesting to see where they decide and take it now because it definitely needs some TLC.

[Jake]

Channel 4 *Genre* could definitely be possible from what their YouTube channels look like.

[Kunst]

I think E4 has basically become a Channel 4 brand, rather than its own brand.

In the past they had the money and less competition, so they could treat the two brands somehow "separately": now of course the money is felt better spent straight on Channel 4, which is lagging too somehow

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I'm pretty sure the HD channel had an HD DOG, didn't it? I'll have to look back at something I've recorded. But the one they have now is laughably big, far too distracting.

Do they really need an HD inscription these days?

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I'm hard pressed to say that the E4 brand has the same value as it once did. Not only do I still think it was a terrible idea to abandon the original logo (I almost liken it to MTV, not only in longevity but the way it was used so flexibly in its presentation) but it just feels like another ITV2/BBC Three clone nowadays.

I know what you're going to say. E4 is chasing the same demographic as the other two channels, yes. But until recently, it felt like E4 did it in its own style. It was unapologetically quirky in a similar way that Dave still is. But even their "sliding side-to-side" endboards after the big rebrand almost looked like a direct copy of those "snapping back" ones used by ITV2. And even the programming just feels very ITV2 as well. Whether that's a result of me entering my 30s and not seeing the appeal in these shows anymore, I'm not quite so sure. But if you were to ask me what channel aired Celebs Go Dating ten years ago, E4 certainly wouldn't have been my first guess.

Oh, and happy birthday, Channel 4.

I think what makes the situation worse is that E4 seems to have a split identity. During the daytime it still focuses on the American comedies they were once mostly known for, but then at night the reality shows dominate. There’s also E4 Extra, which seems to mostly act as an overflow channel for programmes the main channel doesn’t want anymore, whilst they keep showing constant Big Bang Theory and Gogglebox repeats.

I imagine that the reason they don’t add more reality shows to daytime is that the sitcoms still pull decent ratings (if they didn’t then I doubt you’d be seeing as many Big Bang episodes), but it could help  unify the channel’s image.

Who needs more reality shows on daytime?

[Josh]

At least they haven't called it 4Play!

Can't help but think that the "HD" on the 4HD logo is a bit too big. Do like the break bumpers though and echo the 2000s comments. The sooner we can get rid of "pass it up 'ere!" the better, frankly!

[Kunst]

I think E4 Extra was such a missed opportunity: let me explain you
I think they should've left it as a kind of separate (sub-)brand, specific wordplays typical of Channel 4 and things like this, without transforming it in a kind of "E4" channel, especially as they've begun removing most of the older shows; maybe a mixed identity channel.

I hate "spin off" channels (of another spin off channel), they feel so lifeless

[JasonB]

At least they haven't called it 4Play!

I can now hear the voice of Peter Dickson doing continuity with innuendo filled links around the channel name.

[Roger Darthwell]

There is an interesting nugget of information from RXTV Info about the fate of E4: ''Meanwhile, Channel 4’s family of channels, will also be aligned under the Channel 4 brand. The broadcaster hasn’t provided further details at this stage, but it has since told RXTV that the E4 brand will continue.''
I think that maybe the change is going to concern the music video channels of what once was The Box Plus Network: ''But some of its services, including The Box currently don’t carry Channel 4 branding.''
rxtvinfo.com 

Channel 4 to ditch All4 brand in big shake-up > RXTV info
Channel 4 marked its 40th birthday with an announcement that its channel sub-bra…
  Source: rxtvinfo.com

[BlueFrog]

Channel 4 has just broadcast its first new ident, after teasing us with the break-bumpers. I like it. It's simple but it works!
www.youtube.com 

[strollfan]

Channel 4 has just broadcast its first new ident, after teasing us with the break-bumpers. I like it. It's simple but it works!
www.youtube.com 

On a purely visual level, there's certainly nothing wrong with it. But it doesn't feel very 4 - there's none of the creativity that I typically associate with their idents and branding in the last ~20 years. I feel like this is potentially part of a transition, as mentioned before in this thread, to the final product in spring.

[KyleToons]

Channel 4 has just broadcast its first new ident, after teasing us with the break-bumpers. I like it. It's simple but it works!
www.youtube.com 

Nice. Awesome that they did an homage of one of the original idents in the beginning.