4Music to become E4 Extra

[Brekkie]

Personally I'd have liked to have seen a "4Decades" type channel exploiting the C4 archives, but longer term this probably makes more sense.

I think part of the problem there is I don't think Channel 4 own the rights to those old shows, they belong to the companies that made them and they'd have to buy them in in the same way as anyone else, so it's likely not as easy as the BBC or ITV showing their old shows. Especially as I imagine many of these indies from the 80s and 90s no longer even exist and could be in rights hell.

All4 is an indicator though they have acquired rights to quite a chunk of their earlier content, including many US shows - certainly enough to build a schedule around, especially if they can add reruns of Hollyoaks and Brookside. I think what might be tricky with Brookside is airing it pre-watershed - although it always was it pushed the boundaries in a way C4 got away with in the 80s but might not so much now. That said though daytime is full of old soaps across Drama and ITV3 now so sticking it in a 9pm slot could actually work out for it.

The reality is though archive channels increasingly rely on content from the last decade rather than the last century.


Back to what is happening and I hope E4 don't dump all their daytime comedy for reality reruns - for me the comedy should remain the backbone of the schedule with the older and lower profile comedies being what should move over to E4 Extra, especially if it's only being replaced by reruns of the likes of Don't Tell the Bride (which currently runs on 4Music).