Channel Research - Channel 4

Channel 4 is a UK public-service television broadcaster which began broadcasting on November 2, 1982. Although commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned, whilst being operated by the Channel Four Television Corporation, a public body established in 1990.

Unlike Dave, Channel 4 has a much wider target audience and has to suit everyone, so can not create an image for itself like that of Dave's which connects with the very small audience of the channel. Also, Channel 4 is now more like a television network than just a standalone channel, with sister channels including More 4, E4, FILM 4 and 4Music. All of this affects the image of the channel and of its website, channel4.com.

The website design itself is very simple and plain, being mainly black and white. This keeps the pages very clean and easy to read. The website contains only a few images, all of these being pictures of programmes, promoting the wide range of shows on the channel. To help make the website a richer experience for the user, there are a lot of interactive areas to the website, including the menu at the top of the page. Also on the page is a very interactive programme guide for the following few hours, which expands when you hover over parts of it. This works very well and is extremely helpful to those looking at the website, as it provides a simple to use programme guide which provides a lot of information when needed.

This website works extremely well, with all the relevant information needed spread over a few pages, with separate pages for the programme guide, the different channels and some special pages for a handful of programmes themselves.

Overall, Channel 4's website is very simple and clean, to suit its image and to also make it simple to use. Unlike Dave, everything is kept plain, with no golden image frames or colourful wallpapers in sight. The website is also very functional, with a detailed programme guide and information. However, unlike Dave's website, Channel 4's has no real content of its own and is simply filled with information about the channel. This makes it more boring than joindave.co.uk and ensures viewers stay on the website for less amount of time.