Channel 4 recently fixed a deal with YouTube meaning that as of 2010, all of Channel 4′s programming will be available to stream in full and for free from a branded Channel 4 channel on YouTube. It’s a powerful and savvy move from Channel 4. Not only will it ensure a stronger online presence – vital when consumers are spending more and more of their time online, but it also means they should be able to increase and diversify their advertising revenues. Even better is that those revenues (in theory and if the deal allows it) will be able to come from more targeted and therefore more relevant advertising. Everyone is a winner. With Web TV (see below) rolling out from most TV manufacturers nowadays and an increasing amount of offline hardware now able to offer a level of YouTube integration, Channel 4 aren’t being slack in helping to turn the pages of convergence.
Here’s something pretty fresh out of the TV oven -- Channel 4′s Misfits, soon to start on E4 in a couple of weeks. With NBC’s Heroes kicking off its fourth season a couple of days ago and Marvel’s seemingly endless franchise of superhero films dominating the big screen, the Superhero genre is prime entertainment territory. And now us Brits are getting some homegrown uber power, albeit in a far more British tone. Less sex, more social deliquency. From Channel 4′s homepage :
“Misfits follows five outsiders on community service who get struck by a flash storm and lumbered with special powers.
Hard as nails Kelly (Lauren Socha) can suddenly hear people’s thoughts, shamed sporting hero Curtis (Nathan Stewart Jarrett) discovers he has the ability to turn back time when he regrets something, and party girl Alisha (Antonia Thomas) can send people into a sexual frenzy when they touch her skin. Even painfully shy Simon (Iwan Rheon) can make himself invisible when he feels he’s being ignored, which makes it all the more hard to swallow for smart aleck Nathan (Robert Sheehan), who seems to have been unaffected, much to his dismay.
Unlike their more conventional counterparts, our misfits don’t swap their ankle tags and mobile phones for capes and tights. Instead, they discover what a pain in the arse life can be when you’re stuck with a super power you didn’t want”
A cool TV spot has just been finished and polished off by the talented bods at the Mill House - see below.
As with all things Channel 4, it’s slick, sassy and a lot cooler than any branded TV content found on 1, 2 or 3. Or 5. The branding team at Channel 4 have repeatedly demonstrated an ability to deliver top draw branded content, setting them apart from other broadcasters with award winning ads for Disarming Britain and recently a very clever ident for More 4′s Stanley Kubrick season.
