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What Is The Point of More 4?

zandarzandar Posts: 929
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in Broadcasting #1
It looks like More 4 shows new programmes before many of them eventually reach Channel 4. More 4 is only available in HD to viewers who subscribe to Virgin or Sky meaning, that anybody with Freeview or Freesat, would be watching these programmes in standard definition. Why on earth would Channel 4 wish for the 'free' viewers to be watching their new shows in SD? As I fall into this category, I will certainly not be watching More 4 and will wait for these programmes to appear on Channel 4 in HD.

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    DanManF1DanManF1 Posts: 8,327
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    #2
    More4 launched when Big Brother was at it's peak on Channel 4, with schedules dominated by all kinds of reality TV on both C4 and E4, hence why More4 came along. It was a useful channel at the time IIRC, but not so much now, as you say.
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    degsyhufcdegsyhufc Posts: 59,251
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    #3
    DanManF1 wrote: »
    More4 launched when Big Brother was at it's peak on Channel 4, with schedules dominated by all kinds of reality TV on both C4 and E4, hence why More4 came along. It was a useful channel at the time IIRC, but not so much now, as you say.
    Was going to post similar. If you look at the type of docs on C4 you know what you're going to get time after time.

    More4's docs are more varied from history, war, monachy, natual disasters, food & drink etc.
    Also they do fill it up with regualr C4 fodder as well.
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    mike65mike65 Posts: 11,386
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    #4
    Foreign language drama seems to be their new thing, which is fine if it means one less hour per week that property sales cannot feature in.
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    Zeropoint1Zeropoint1 Posts: 10,917
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    #5
    zandar wrote: »
    It looks like More 4 shows new programmes before many of them eventually reach Channel 4. More 4 is only available in HD to viewers who subscribe to Virgin or Sky meaning, that anybody with Freeview or Freesat, would be watching these programmes in standard definition. Why on earth would Channel 4 wish for the 'free' viewers to be watching their new shows in SD? As I fall into this category, I will certainly not be watching More 4 and will wait for these programmes to appear on Channel 4 in HD.

    Hang on. So this is basically asking why we can watch something for free in SD first, or maybe in HD if we pay extra. But we can view it anyway. I love HD and truly detest fuzzy vision but am stuck as to why this should be an issue
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    Mass CoronaMass Corona Posts: 718
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    #6
    Sounds like it's all just a part of their grubby money deals with Sky. Lock it up and premire stuff on that whilst the poor people have to wait for their tip-bits.

    Just like they have had E4HD locked up for years and will never make it free. All these companies (ITV very much included) should decide what they are a free channel or a pay channel, not both. And so typical that behind it all is grubby little Sky with it's buy up everything and then fleece everyone. (Even the BBC's F1 is included in that!)
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    kezokezo Posts: 11,086
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    #7
    I only used More 4 for repeats of Come Dine/Four in the bed but have grown bored of them now, the other good thing I liked was repeats of Father Ted but I was expecting the channel to be more of an "archive" channel for repeating old Channel 4 content but these days More4 seems to repeat Channel 4 shows. I remember a few months or so ago they repeated on More4 "Confessions of a Stripper" (yet they never repeated the "confessions of an alien abduction") but again if these sort of docs are on Channel 4 as a repeat run they'll get the same again on More 4. I just find Channel 4 these days as scraping barrels entertainment (only things I watch in general are The Simpsons/Big Bang theory) but it does nothing for me these days sadly
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    popeye13popeye13 Posts: 8,573
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    #8
    More4 is basically Channel4's version of what BBC Four offers.
    Something for the more mature mind, something more indepth, documentaries aswell as chances to catch C4 shows again if they fit with More4 and what the channel is about.

    As for the complaint about its SD version being FTA but the HD version not being -
    Sky paid for it, if it wasn't for the money Sky pay, More4HD wouldn't be on air, same for E4HD.
    Plus, it's the same over at ITV, with the SD versions of 2, 3 & 4 being FTA but the HD versions being pay. The only difference is that ITV created the HD versions as another way to make money!
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    mavreelamavreela Posts: 4,749
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    #9
    zandar wrote: »
    Why on earth would Channel 4 wish for the 'free' viewers to be watching their new shows in SD?

    Why would you wish for Channel 4 to be unable to make those new programmes?

    They are a commercially-funded broadcaster so a loss of income — such as by selling the carriage of HD versions of their channels exclusively to pay-TV operators — means they have less to spend on content.

    The majority of Freeview channels are only available in SD, I believe the platform can only accommodate ten separate broadcast HD streams, and most people are still willing to watch them.

    Until such a time enough people refuse to watch in SD, so that the loss of advertising revenues becomes greater than the carriage fees, then broadcasters are not going to start a crazy bidding war over very limited capacity just to make their HD channels free.
    zandar wrote: »
    As I fall into this category, I will certainly not be watching More 4 and will wait for these programmes to appear on Channel 4 in HD.

    So, you still watch the programmes, and Channel 4 still receive the same total audience. Then what is the problem?

    This thread should not be called "What is the point of More 4?," when it is clearly a successful channel helping fund the corporation's PSB commitments, but "Why is More 4 not aimed specifically at me and my particular whims?"
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    hyperstarspongehyperstarsponge Posts: 16,701
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    #10
    More4 used to be the Channel 4 version of BBC Four at night but they didn't stick with that and they now show cheap rubbish most of the time instead these days, Shame.
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    Doghouse RileyDoghouse Riley Posts: 32,491
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    #11
    zandar wrote: »
    It looks like More 4 shows new programmes before many of them eventually reach Channel 4. More 4 is only available in HD to viewers who subscribe to Virgin or Sky meaning, that anybody with Freeview or Freesat, would be watching these programmes in standard definition. Why on earth would Channel 4 wish for the 'free' viewers to be watching their new shows in SD? As I fall into this category, I will certainly not be watching More 4 and will wait for these programmes to appear on Channel 4 in HD.

    Like many other "fringe channels" More 4 does have some good programmes now and again, it doesn't bother me that it's not on FreeView in HD.
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    Bill ClintonBill Clinton Posts: 9,389
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    #12
    Channel 4 should offer a documentary channel because there's a lot that could be on it, More4 is partly used for this but is mostly full of lifestyle/property/cooking etc. I think the idea of More4 is great but the channel itself is very lacklustre. A free to air documentary channel from 4 would be great, could be called Documentary4 or D4. Using 4Seven's space for this might be better because surely they can repeat most of Channel 4's schedule over E4 & More4 and a new documentary channel.
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    blisteringblueblisteringblue Posts: 203
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    #13
    I would much rather have more4 in HD via freeview (BT TV customer) rather than Channel4+1 HD. No real need for that channel to be HD as the main Channel 4 is HD and just record it?
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    philenglandphilengland Posts: 8,178
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    #14
    I enjoy More 4 its one of my favorite channels at the moment, with a new series of Ponelope Keith's Hidden Villages startting tonight - I can't wait!
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    zandarzandar Posts: 929
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    #15
    philengland wrote: »
    I enjoy More 4 its one of my favorite channels at the moment, with a new series of Ponelope Keith's Hidden Villages startting tonight - I can't wait!

    Yes, I would be watching 'Hidden Villages' tonight but made the mistake of seeing it on More 4 when the first series went out. I then found a couple of months later that it was shown on CH 4 - which having Freeview/Freesat , I can have in HD. So, if I watch it tonight, I will be seeing it with inferior picture quality. I therefore refuse to watch More 4 and now don't even bother looking at the programme listings for this channel. I resent the fact that Channel 4 would have me watch a show in SD just so they can get some revenue for making the channel HD on pay channels. If all 'free' viewers took my attitude, More 4 would lose more eyeballs & hence the advertising revenue would drop below the level that they are able to charge Sky & Virgin for the HD version.

    Regarding HD capacity. On main transmitters I am now even getting 2 channels of QVC plus Al Jazeera in HD. Satellite capacity has also increased recently so it would seem that we should now be having Channel 5, ITV 2,3 & 4 in HD on Freesat as well as Freeview.

    Many thanks to all who have responded to my post thus far.
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