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UK public broadcasters want top billing on streaming services
As streaming services and set-top boxes continue to creep up on traditional TV, public service broadcasters (PSBs) in the UK are worried about being left behind. The heads of ITV, BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5 are urging the government to require tech companies to give them prominent placement within on-demand services.
Netflix is adapting edgy social media reality TV show 'The Circle'
Social media-inspired reality TV show The Circle is coming to Netflix. First launched in the UK in September, the unscripted show sees eight people kept in isolation, only able to communicate with one another through The Circle, a faux-social media platform. A popularity contest ensues, and one by one the players are "blocked" by the group, with the last person standing winning a hefty cash prize.
You can’t make a reality game show out of social media
Technology's ubiquity has become a real problem for the entertainment industry because life is easier now. There's a reason that horror films these days always seem to feature a shot of someone discovering they're in a signal blackspot. Shows like Sherlock have found novel ways to incorporate technology into their narratives, but clearly, it's still a bit of a fudge. It's even worse in the world of reality TV, which often relies on throwing people into hostile situations and filming the results. Would-be victims can cope with the faux-isolation or trauma much easier if you're packing the sum total of human knowledge in your back pocket. It explains why so many big reality shows, like Jersey Shore, Big Brother and The Amazing Race ban the use of phones.
Facebook accused of shielding far-right activists who broke its rules
An upcoming documentary reportedly reveals that Facebook has been protecting far-right activists, even though they would normally have been banned over rule violations. UK's Channel 4's documentary series Dispatches sent a reporter undercover and found toxic content, including graphic violence, child abuse and hate speech that moderators from Facebook contractor CPL refused to ban. Facebook admitted that it made mistakes with regard to content moderation, but denied that it sought to profit from the extreme content.
Netflix’s ‘Kiss Me First’ is a VR thriller landing June 29th
VR cautionary tale Kiss Me First finally has a release date and an official trailer. The sci-fi gaming drama is coming to Netflix June 29th. From the creators of UK television series Skins, Kiss Me First revolves around a lonely woman who connects with a "party girl" and discovers a virtual world full of excitement... and murder.
Cambridge Analytica caught on tape proposing blackmail, propaganda
It has only been a few days since Facebook pulled access from Cambridge Analytica and some of its associates -- for allegedly retaining data on millions of accounts that it pulled in via a "personality" app in 2014 -- but the scrutiny around both companies continues to intensify. Today, UK's Channel 4 aired the results of an undercover investigation that shows Cambridge Analytica representatives -- including CEO Alexander Nix -- talking about how its strategies have worked in more than two hundred elections around the world, saying that employees can be disguised as researchers, and even using sex workers to entrap political opponents. In a statement, Cambridge Analytica said that "Assessing the legality and reputational risks associated with new projects is critical for us, and we routinely undertake conversations with prospective clients to try to tease out any unethical or illegal intentions. The two Cambridge Analytica executives at the meeting humoured these questions and actively encouraged the prospective client to disclose his intentions. They left with grave concerns and did not meet with him again." Said Nix, "In playing along with this line of conversation, and partly to spare our 'client' from embarrassment, we entertained a series of ludicrous hypothetical scenarios. I am aware how this looks, but it is simply not the case. I must emphatically state that Cambridge Analytica does not condone or engage in entrapment, bribes or so-called 'honeytraps', and nor does it use untrue material for any purpose."
Channel 4 is making All 4 accounts mandatory early next year
Channel 4 is going the way of the BBC early next year, when it will begin forcing users to sign up for an All 4 account in order to access the catchup service. No doubt, like the BBC, this will give Channel 4 the opportunity to better tailor the All 4 experience to the individual. But switching accounts from optional to mandatory isn't without an ulterior motive. Just as the BBC peeks at user data to catch out licence fee dodgers, Channel 4 will utilise it to serve targeted ads to nearly every All 4 streamer, whether they be watching on a phone, tablet, console or smart TV.
Channel 4 is giving The Chicken Connoisseur his own show
YouTube star Elijah Quashie, better known as the Chicken Connoisseur, has been given his own show on Channel 4. The Peng Life will be a broader take on Quashie's hit channel, which reviews the best and worst chicken shops in London. He'll travel across the capital and pass judgment on everything from food to fashion at "street" and "elite" level pricing. The goal will be to find out which products are the "pengest" and whether the priciest options are really worth the extra cash. Quashie will also sit down with celebrities to talk about the "pengest luxuries" they can't live without.
Channel 4's online TV ads will call you out by name
Adverts are about to get a lot more personalised -- or creepier, depending on your point of view -- the next time you hop on the All 4 streaming service to catch up on The Island with Bear Grylls. This month, Channel 4 is bringing a new ad format to its on-demand platform that targets the viewer directly, including their name as part of the promo. Channel 4 gets this information from your All 4 account details, of course, and it's not a case of simply stamping that on an outro slide. In eerie, Minority Report style, the ads will actually talk to you (a world first, apparently), calling out your name and telling you to "run" after showing you a trailer for Alien: Covenant, for example.
Walter brings foreign prestige TV dramas to the US
The internet has democratized almost everything to the point where almost anyone can now start their own streaming service. Channel 4, a British public service broadcaster, is joining the fray by launching its own internet TV platform in the US. Walter Presents will launch in March with the stated aim of showcasing the best foreign-language dramas from across the world. Unfortunately, the victim in all of this peak TV madness is your wallet, which will be asked to shell out $6.99 a month for the privilege.
All 4 is getting a new look with improved recommendations
Channel 4 killed off 4oD and replaced it with the new, All 4 on-demand service early last year. Since then, All 4 has made its way onto several important TV-connected devices and brought live streaming to mobiles and tablets. Next up: A visual upgrade. Not too much will change when the new UI comes to big screens like smart TVs, set-top boxes and consoles within the next few weeks, before hitting iOS, Android and the web in due course. A new dark background and slightly rearranged card-like UI are among the changes, but Channel 4 is making a point of talking up the new home screen, which'll blend data-driven recommendations with hand-picked content from human curators.
Channel 4 adds live TV streaming to the All 4 Android app
Channel 4 retired its aging 4oD platform and replaced it with the new and shiny All 4 streaming service this time last year. All 4 finally put on-demand content, live channel feeds and sundries like web shorts in one place. Well, that was true of the All 4 site and iOS app at least, but Android users have been missing out on one key feature: live TV.
'Black Mirror' season three won't be shown on Channel 4
Last September, Netflix commissioned a new season of Black Mirror from Charlie Brooker and the House of Tomorrow team. It was pitched as a "Netflix original," although the company stressed it would premiere internationally "in all Netflix territories outside the UK and Ireland." Here, it said, plans were "still being determined." As The Guardian notes, that's because Channel 4 -- which funded and aired the first two seasons -- was still in the running for first broadcast rights on its home turf. Not anymore. The negotiations have now wrapped up, with Netflix proving the victor. It means the next season of Black Mirror will now premiere globally on Netflix, including the UK. Channel 4, meanwhile, won't be showing the programme at all. "Black Mirror couldn't be a more Channel 4 show," Jay Hunt, Channel 4's Chief Creative Officer said. "We grew it from a dangerous idea to a brand that resonated globally. Of course, it's disappointing that the first broadcast window in the UK is then sold to the highest bidder, ignoring the risk a publically owned channel like Four took backing it." Netflix, on the other hand, is understandably thrilled with the outcome. Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer for Netflix, said: "Netflix has been the proud home of Black Mirror in most of the world and are thrilled to support Charlie and Annabel's amazing vision for the new season that will premiere only on Netflix globally, including the UK." Black Mirror season three is effectively a Netflix exclusive, so you'll need a subscription to watch each new episode later this year. An exact release date hasn't been given, although the company has teased it'll be coming out "soon." As with earlier seasons, we suspect it'll deliver some pretty dark and unnervingly believable visions of our society in the near future. All new episodes. Coming soon. #BlackMirrorhttps://t.co/Ug5LY66VoY — Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) March 29, 2016
Channel 4's game publishing arm announces first titles
Channel 4 makes video games? It might sound strange, but the British broadcaster has long tinkered with its own TV tie-ins and now wants to help the larger indie game development community. All 4 Games, a dedicated publishing arm set up last year, is now getting ready to launch its first three titles in the first quarter of 2016. These are Fire Fu by British studio RetroFist, Super Arc Light by the Glasgow team No Code and Apestorm: Full Bananas by Finnish developer Snowhound.
Netflix and E4 team up for 'Kiss Me First' gaming drama
Netflix is a proven producer of top-tier TV shows, so it should come as no surprise that traditional broadcasters now want to collaborate on new projects. Today, Channel 4 announced that it's teaming up with the streaming giant for a show called Kiss Me First, which follows two girls and their dual lives in the real world and a video game called Agora. It'll premiere on E4 in the UK before being shown on Netflix around the world. The six-part drama won't be available to British Netflix subscribers, although that shouldn't be too much of a problem given that All 4 is essentially free to use (you'll have to sit through the ads though).
All 4 catch-up streaming comes to Amazon's Fire TV
When you've gone about revamping and rebranding your streaming service like Channel 4 did this year, the next step is to get your app on as many platforms as possible. Just before Christmas, All 4 made its way to the PlayStation 4, joining the apps already available for other games consoles, mobiles, tablets, computers and various smart TVs and set-top boxes (including Google's Chromecast). Today the service expands to yet another device, with All 4 launching on Amazon's newest Fire TV and support for the older version and Fire TV Stick also announced as "coming soon."
All 4 streaming app arrives on PlayStation 4
If your PlayStation 4 hogs the first or second input on your telly, there's a good chance it doubles as your TV streaming box too. It already has a bundle of apps including iPlayer and Netflix, but today an important service is joining its roster: All 4. The live streaming and on-demand service from Channel 4 (formerly known as 4oD) is now available from the UK PSN store, giving you easy access to programmes like Homeland and Fargo. This particular app only supports catchup viewing though, so you'll need to use another device if you want to tune in live. Given that Demand 5 is already available on the PS4, that means ITV Hub is the only service from the big terrestrial trio now missing on Sony's console.
Formula 1 coverage moves from BBC to Channel 4 next season
As the latest Premier League auction has shown, obtaining live TV rights to prestigious sporting events is expensive. It's unsurprising, therefore, to hear that the BBC is cutting back on its coverage to meet its new savings targets, starting with Formula 1. The broadcaster currently shows 10 races each season, as well as highlights from the other nine aired by Sky. It's now prematurely ending its contract, however, and giving Channel 4 the opportunity to take over from next year. Channel 4 is getting a three-year deal -- the amount that was left on the BBC's contract -- and has promised zero advertising breaks like its predecessor during each live race.
Channel 4's All 4 will soon support Chromecast streaming
Love Channel 4 shows like Peep Show, Humans and Grand Designs? Own a Chromecast? If your answer to both of those questions is "yes," then we've got some good news for you. From November 24th you'll be able to watch All 4, the broadcaster's live streaming and catchup TV service (and the successor to 4oD) on your TV using Google's tiny dongle. It'll work through the Chrome browser and the All 4 Android app, followed by support in the iOS app around mid-December. If you have a spare TV, the combo could prove particularly useful over the Christmas period. Now, if and when your main TV is occupied, you've got another way to catch up on shows like Homeland and Empire undisturbed.
Government document reveals Channel 4 might be privatised
The UK government is considering whether to privatise Channel 4, just one month after the culture secretary John Whittingdale promised it wasn't. Photographer Steve Back snapped a document being taken into Downing Street, which is clearly legible and confirms the controversial discussions. Addressed to two unspecified secretaries of state, it reads: "Work should proceed (to) examine the options for extracting greater public value from the Channel 4 Corporation (C4C), focusing on privatisation options in particular."
