[sjhoward]

I often tell people that I read stuff "in the Financial Times"... when actually it was on the website, and I haven’t bought a paper copy in quite a few years.

I recently texted a friend recommending a series "Monocle Radio"... but I've no idea when it's on air, I listen back at my leisure via the Monocle website.

Only yesterday, I told a colleague I bought some chocolate I was sharing with them "in Waitrose"... but I didn't set foot in there, I ordered it with the rest of my shopping in the app.

Perhaps I've underestimated how much confusion I'm wreaking on the world.

[Kim Wexler’s Ponytail]

Apples and Oranges. When you're in Waitrose and recommend a show to a friend that's on channel 4 but not "channel 4" you're going to be in for a long winded conversation that could've been avoided by just saying "it's on 4OD". Nobody is confused by anything, it just makes for sh*t advertising. Every promo is way more wordy than it needs to be because of an unnecessary "fix" to a problem that didn't exist.

[tellyblues]

Maybe someone needs to be sacked for it? That seems to be the done solution to everything concerned with Channel 4 these days.

[gottago]

Apples and Oranges. When you're in Waitrose and recommend a show to a friend that's on channel 4 but not "channel 4" you're going to be in for a long winded conversation that could've been avoided by just saying "it's on 4OD".

I'm struggling to see how "it's on Channel 4" wouldn't be sufficient in this scenario. No-one's going to go searching through the schedules for a linear repeat on the channel itself in this day and age. If you've recommended something on "Channel 4" then they know where they're going to find it on catch up.

[Keith]

I'm struggling to see how "it's on Channel 4" wouldn't be sufficient in this scenario. No-one's going to go searching through the schedules for a linear repeat on the channel itself in this day and age. If you've recommended something on "Channel 4" then they know where they're going to find it on catch up.

I think you're assuming that everyone is tech-savy.

Whilst many people are used to catchup/ streaming apps, there's still a significant number of people who aren't.

I've a feeling that if I said "The Addams Family is on Channel 4" they'd be looking through their TV guide, and possibly messaging me to ask what day/time it was on when they couldn't find it. I'd then have to explain I meant the Channel 4 streaming app, and probably then have to show them how to log in and use the app. (I've no idea if it's still on the C4 app, but you get the idea.)

I'd probably have to describe it as "Channel 4's catchup service" or "Channel 4's equivalent of iPlayer" for them to look in the right place.

This illustrates how having the same name for a linear TV channel and streaming service can cause confusion for some. By contrast if you say "iPlayer" people generally know immediately what you mean, and I think even "ITVX" has a clear distinction.

Maybe Channel 4 could merge with UKTV, and you could then have a joint streaming service called "4U".

[Kim Wexler’s Ponytail]

I'm struggling to see how "it's on Channel 4" wouldn't be sufficient in this scenario. No-one's going to go searching through the schedules for a linear repeat on the channel itself in this day and age. If you've recommended something on "Channel 4" then they know where they're going to find it on catch up.

30 Rock is only on ITV X. All I had to say to recommend it to a friend recently was ‘’30 Rock is on ITV X’’. For shows that are on Channel 4 but not Channel 4 it's more like ‘’30 Rock Is on Channel 4; the streaming one not the telly one…..yes 4OD..…no I don’t know why’’

[gottago]

I think you're assuming that everyone is tech-savy.

Whilst many people are used to catchup/ streaming apps, there's still a significant number of people who aren't.

I've a feeling that if I said "The Addams Family is on Channel 4" they'd be looking through their TV guide, and possibly messaging me to ask what day/time it was on when they couldn't find it. I'd then have to explain I meant the Channel 4 streaming app, and probably then have to show them how to log in and use the app. (I've no idea if it's still on the C4 app, but you get the idea.)

I'd probably have to describe it as "Channel 4's catchup service" or "Channel 4's equivalent of iPlayer" for them to look in the right place.

This illustrates how having the same name for a linear TV channel and streaming service can cause confusion for some. By contrast if you say "iPlayer" people generally know immediately what you mean, and I think even "ITVX" has a clear distinction.

Hmmm I'm not sure about this. I know plenty of people I'd consider to be very tech unsavvy who have been using catch up with ease for many years on Sky and Freeview Play now. That argument would fly better in 2010 but not 2024. It's certainly not a big enough group of people for C4 to be shaping the branding of their streaming service for.

Not sure why you'd be recommending a show you can only watch on a service that you know someone would have such difficulty accessing in the first place!

30 Rock is only on ITV X. All I had to say to recommend it to a friend recently was ‘’30 Rock is on ITV X’’. For shows that are on Channel 4 but not Channel 4 it's more like ‘’30 Rock Is on Channel 4; the streaming one not the telly one…..yes 4OD..…no I don’t know why’’

Simply tell them it's on Channel 4 and I'm sure they won't struggle to search for it and find it.

[Kim Wexler’s Ponytail]

Hmmm I'm not sure about this. I know plenty of people I'd consider to be very tech unsavvy who have been using catch up with ease for many years on Sky and Freeview Play now. That argument would fly better in 2010 but not 2024. It's certainly not a big enough group of people for C4 to be shaping the branding of their streaming service for.

Not sure why you'd be recommending a show you can only watch on a service that you know someone would have such difficulty accessing in the first place!

Simply tell them it's on Channel 4 and I'm sure they won't struggle to search for it and find it.

Sure, I’m just going to unhelpfully give them half the information and let them figure it out for themselves because they’re an idiot for not knowing linear and streaming are one and the same now.

[gottago]

Sure, I’m just going to unhelpfully give them half the information and let them figure it out for themselves because they’re an idiot for not knowing linear and streaming are one and the same now.

You've given them all the information they need by simply saying it's on "Channel 4".

[rick]

If you think Channel 4 is a silly name for the streaming service then I don't think any comments on here are going to make you change your mind. Ditto for those that think it's a good name and shouldn't have a separate name like other networks have or how it used to be with 4oD or All4. Both opinions are valid.

For the record, I think it should have kept the 4oD or All4 name, calling it Channel 4 just made sense in that boardroom meeting where someone tried to justify it to the executives in theory. In practice though I think it's silly and it doesn't work how it was planned. I don't see them changing it now at this point. But the rest of the "brand alignment" seems to have been paused with the other channels, so maybe they have noticed that it needs a bit of a rethink...