4Music to become E4 Extra

[Rob]

4Music is to be rebranded as E4 Extra, and Box Hits is to be rebranded as 4Music.

Confused?


https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/channel-4...Newsletter

[Roger Darthwell]

4Music is to be rebranded as E4 Extra, and Box Hits is to be rebranded as 4Music.

Confused?


https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/channel-4...Newsletter

Wait.....what? I am very confused!

[Inspector Sands]

Makes sense in terms of content, but not the most straight forward way of doing it

[tomatoesaway]

High-res photo:

[Roger Darthwell]

Makes sense in terms of content, but not the most straight forward way of doing it

What would have been the most straight forward way of doing it?

[frasergj]

Box Hits rebranding as E4 Extra then the programming 'moving' from 4Music to it (leaving 4Music as music only) would make more sense from a viewer perspective.

Technically easier to do it as the article says though.

[PATV Scunthorpe]

I guess it was going to happen at some point. For years I was behind the 4Music name staying but in the last year or so I have thought it would be better without.

Not sure about the name E4 Extra though, there is now a bit of crossover but I've never really seen the programming as an extension of E4... unless they're going to add more shows.

Don't have access to the article, but I wonder whether they'll transfer playout to the Channel 4 side or whether they'll keep E4 Extra as a Box Plus channel and possibly still continue with the music in the mornings, E4 Music anyone?

Glad the 4Music name is staying though, in my opinion it is is the better known brand, I wonder whether they would put the new 4Music on Freeview or just keep it as the free-to-air service it is now. During the Red Bee incident I did contact the then Programming Manager and he did say people were enjoying having music on 4Music, though I don't know whether this was based off social reaction or viewership.

[ConorM98]

It makes sense to me really. Making the old 4Music into a sister channel to E4 whilst Box Hits is made into a new music-only 4Music. Makes plenty of sense.
I wonder if it could possibly mean a new look for the new 4Music channel on Box Hits' channel number?

[Rex]

Makes total sense, 4Music has largely become dominated with comedy programming in the schedule. Perhaps this helps them to have greater freedom in being able to fit in shows that can't get into the E4 schedule.

I wonder if the new 4Music is coming to Freeview, surely there's some capacity for it right?

[Brekkie]

Long overdue as it's been E4 Extra in all but name for years. A bit uninspired name wise but it does the job. I get why they want to keep the 4Music brand too but just hope they don't repeat history by adding non-music programming to that and ending up in the same place. Personally I think they'd be better off just focusing on the BOX brand, or rebrand all the box channels as 4Music (which I guess is only two now unless they rebranded the radio branded channels too).

Is 4Music leaving Freeview then?

[Inspector Sands]

Makes sense in terms of content, but not the most straight forward way of doing it

What would have been the most straight forward way of doing it?

Well renaming just one channel, not two..... but I hadn't realised their platform coverage isn't the same

[Brekkie]

High-res photo:

Looks great - E4's idents are the best of the 4 family at the moment so looks like these will follow suit.  Would like to see other elements of presentation refreshed though for E4 alongside the launch of E4 Extra.

---

More details here:

https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2022/06/1...ff_channel

Launches June 29th.

[Kunst]

It makes a lot of sense, and I've sugfgested something along these lines, especially in order to make 4Music a real music channel... except not as E4 Extra, more something like Retro4, or 4Comedy

[Brekkie]

E4 Extra though gives them the flexibility to fill it with Gogglebox and Naked Attraction repeats down the line. Bit concerned they justify it to allow E4 to concentrate on "dating and reality" - would hope new comedy remains on the channel and E4 Extra is mainly used for repeats.

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

[Kunst]

Box Hits rebranding as E4 Extra then the programming 'moving' from 4Music to it (leaving 4Music as music only) would make more sense from a viewer perspective.

Technically easier to do it as the article says though.

You've got to explain viewers that 4Music content isn't moving, though, so I find it better to do it as they've done it.

Hopefully, E4 Extra won't be the beginning of even more shows from E4, mostly in the morning and afternoon, where current 4Music is much more original (as a kind of "Retro E4")

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E4 Extra though gives them the flexibility to fill it with Gogglebox and Naked Attraction repeats down the line.  Bit concerned they justify it to allow E4 to concentrate on "dating and reality" - would hope new comedy remains on the channel and E4 Extra is mainly used for repeats.

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

It's a flexible concept indeed, and I can see now 4Seven possibly rebranding to C4 Extra (?).

That's like 4Seven, for E4, except hopefully E4 Extra will keep much of its uniqueness outside of the primetime.

4Decades wouldn't been quite good too, but they need to find a way to squeeze some modern shows there, as well.
It's just not a profitable channel as it could've been in the past