4Music
![]() | |
Country | United Kingdom |
---|---|
Programming | |
Picture format | 576i 16:9 SDTV |
Ownership | |
Owner | The Box Plus Network (Channel Four Television Corporation) |
Sister channels | 4seven Channel 4 Film4 E4 More4 The Box Box Hits Kerrang! Kiss Magic |
History | |
Launched | 15 August 2008 |
Replaced | The Hits |
Links | |
Website | www.4music.com |
Availability | |
Terrestrial | |
Freeview | Channel 31 |
Streaming media | |
The Box Plus Network | Watch live |
Virgin TV Go | Watch live (UK only) |
4Music is a British free-to-air television channel launched on 15 August 2008 as a replacement for The Hits. Its programming focuses on music as well as entertainment programming (most of which are from sister channels Channel 4 and E4), broadcasting from 7am to 3am daily; music videos air 7am to 12pm on weekdays and from 7am to 2pm on weekends.
History[edit]
4Music began its broadcast in 2008 with an on-screen countdown which lasted for ten minutes. During the countdown, clips from popular music videos were faded through the screen, including clips from promotions for the channel. The channel then launched at 7 pm with a promotional advert before fading into "Davina (McCall) and Steve (Jones)'s 20 Big Ones"; the first song at number 20 being "The Pretender" by Foo Fighters, and Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out of My Head" at number 1.
Kylie Minogue's KYLIEX2008 tour was broadcast, and completing the launch night line-up was Big Brother Live, where Rachel Rice was given a 'favourite things party' for surviving that night's eviction. She and her chosen favourite housemate, Kathreya Kasisopa, were taken to a private room where Rachel's top 10 favourite songs were played. Live coverage of the 2008 V Festival was shown on 16 and 17 August and highlights were shown on subsequent days. These highlights sparked complaints, however, as to the overall quality of coverage, due to the main headliners not getting their full sets played out.
Despite the arguments between Davina and Steve as to whose face appeared first on the channel, the first face seen on 4Music was Kylie Minogue, introducing her live concert at 9 pm on the launch night (as they later explained).
The launch also saw a new Digital on-screen graphic appear on the screen, and new idents with a woman swivelling on a chair with the channel's logo in the background. The concept for the channel's on-air presentation was similar to the previous idea The Hits had, with a TV suddenly filling with colour throughout the room.
On 2 April 2013, all Box Television channels went free-to-air on satellite, apart from 4Music which went free-to-view.[1] As a result, the channels were removed from the Sky EPG in Ireland.[2] Eventually, 4Music also went free-to-air on 7 February 2017 and launched on Freesat, replacing The Box, but reverted to being free-to-view on 12 December 2018. On 25 January 2022, a new transmission of 4Music free-to-air on satellite began,[3] with a post from a Sky employee on the official Sky customer forums subsequently confirming that the free-to-air version would replace the FTV version on the Sky guide from 1 February. The move back to free-to-air permitted the readdition of 4Music back to the Freesat channel guide from 1 February 2022, following soon after the restoration of the Box Plus Network's music channels and Channel 4 HD to full Freesat listing, after a period during which they had only been available via manual tune-in. On 1 March 2022, 4Music was restored to Sky in Ireland.
On 25 September 2017, 4Music received an update to its on-screen graphics, revolving around four squares which extend to create the 4Music logo and animate to form the artist credit. In 2018, 4Music changed its logo to add the current Channel 4 logo to it, with '4' and 'Music' mashed up together. This change also happened to its other channels.[4]
From 16 April 2018, the channel now shows more entertainment programmes as well as archive Channel 4 programming to coincide with a change in the EPG numbers on Sky from 1 May 2018.
On 4 November 2020, 4Music moved from channel 29 to 30 as part of a move up where every channel from channel 24 to 54 on the platform moved up one place to allow BBC Four to move to channel 24 in Scotland due to new Ofcom rules regarding certain PSB channels requiring greater prominence on EPGs. This is because the BBC Scotland channel is on channel 9 in Scotland, whilst BBC Four is on channel 9 in the rest of the UK. On 26 January 2022, a similar shuffle down of channels - to free up LCN 23 nationwide for the revived BBC Three - saw 4Music moved again, to 31 (with E4 +1 in turn taking over 30).
Transmission of 4Music and other channels operated by Channel 4 was impacted by the activation of a fire suppressant system at the premises of Red Bee Media on 25 September 2021.[5] From 27 September to 6 October 2021, 4Music simulcasted the output of The Box, in place of usual scheduled programming, with a note shown on EPGs about the technical problems.[6] The simulcast was changed to Box Hits on 7 October 2021,[7] while output from 4Music was restored on 15 October, though initially with music videos only. Longform programming returned to the channel on 9 November,[8] beginning at 12.07pm with Couples Come Dine with Me. The last song played before longform programming resumed was "Remember" by Becky Hill and David Guetta.
Programming[edit]
Programmes shown on the channel as of Tuesday 9 November 2021:[9]
Current programming acquired from overseas networks (2021 to date)[edit]
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2021 to present)
- Charmed (2018 to present) (Note: the original WB series from the late 1990s, not the 2018 revival series. Both iterations of the show were shown first on E4.)
- The Goldbergs (this American comedy series, which started on US TV in 2013, has also been seen on E4)
- How I Met Your Mother (2019 to present)
- Malcolm in the Middle (2020 to present)
- Rick and Morty (2021 to present) (some episodes debuted in the UK on E4, others on TruTV)
- Sabrina the Teenage Witch (2019 to present)
- Scrubs (2019 to present, previously shown in the UK on E4 from 2002 to 2010)
- Wipeout USA (2021 to present)
Current programming originally from Channel 4/E4 (2021 to date)[edit]
- 8 Out of 10 Cats Uncut (2014 to present)
- 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (2021 to present)
- Don't Tell the Bride (2019 to present)
- Friday Night Dinner (2020) [As part of 4Music's "Box Set Fri" segment]
- The IT Crowd (2019 to present)
- Stath Lets Flats (2022 to present)
- Taskmaster (2021 to present) (some episodes originally debuted on Dave)
- Travel Man (2021 to present)
Other programming from Channel 4 (2020-2021)[edit]
These shows are not currently listed in 4Music's schedules as of November 2021, but may be repeated in the future:
- Celebs Go Dating (2019 to present)
- Coach Trip (2019 to present)
- Come Dine with Me (2020 to present)
- Couples Come Dine with Me (2020 to present)
- Father Ted (2021) (currently part of More4's schedules)[10]
- Gogglebox (2021 to present)
- Man Down (2021 to present)
- Naked Attraction (2021) (currently part of E4's schedules)[11]
- Rude Tube (2016 to present)
- Tattoo Fixers (2020 to present)
- The Windsors (2020)
Former programming[edit]
Original programming (2010-2019)[edit]
- Bronx Tales: The Influence (part of Hip Hop Season) (2016 to present) (also on Netflix UK)
- Nicki Minaj: Day in the Life (2012)
- Nicole Scherzinger: Day in the Life (2013)
- Olly Murs: Day in the Life (2012)
- Real Stories (2011–14)
Programming from Channel 4 (2010-2019)[edit]
The channel is also well known for repeating some of Channel 4's shows. Most of the shows listed below can also be found on E4, as that is a Channel Four Television Corporation service with a target market range of 16–34 years-of-age. As of September 2019, 4Music was showing the following Channel 4 programmes in its schedule (the shows are not currently listed in 4Music's schedules but may be repeated in the future):
- Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong
- Alan Carr: Chatty Man
- Balls of Steel (now on All 4)
- Balls of Steel Australia (made by Endemol Australia/Foxtel for The Comedy Channel in Australia but broadcast in the UK by E4)
- Banzai (now on All 4)
- Bo' Selecta! (now on All 4)
- Derren Brown (now on All 4)
- Facejacker
- Fonejacker
- Friday/Sunday Night Project
- Girls Aloud: Off the Record
- The Inbetweeners (UK TV series) (now on All 4 and repeated on E4)
- The Inbetweeners (U.S. TV series - actually made by Viacom's MTV but broadcast in the UK by E4)
- The Kevin Bishop Show
- Modern Toss
- No Angels (Series 1 only) (now on All 4)
- Peep Show (now on Gold and All 4)
- Rock School
- Russell Brand's Ponderland
- Shipwrecked (now on All 4)
- Spaced (now on Gold and All 4)
- Star Stories (now on All 4)
- Sugar Rush (now on All 4)
- Trigger Happy TV (now on All 4)
- Trigger Happy TV USA (this version was made for Viacom's Comedy Central channel in the U.S. but was broadcast in the UK on Channel 4)
- TV Offal
- Your Face or Mine? (the version hosted by Jimmy Carr and June Sarpong, not the revival made for Viacom's Comedy Central channel in the UK)
Programming from other channels (2010-2019)[edit]
- 2 Broke Girls (2015–2016, 2019 to present)
- 90210 (2018 to present, shown on E4 from 2009 to 2013)
- Animals Unleashed (2019 to present)
- Anger Management (2019 to present)
- Black-ish (2021 to present)
- Broad City (Season 2+) (2015 to present)
- Frasier (2019 to present)
- The Good Place (2020 to present)
- I Am Cait (2016 to present)
- Keeping Up With the Kardashians (2010 to present) (first run on E!)
- Kourtney and Kim Take Miami (2010 to 2012, 2014 to present)
- Kourtney and Khloé Take The Hamptons (2015 to present)
- Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood (2017 to present)
- Man with a Plan (TV series) (2021 to present)
- Melissa & Joey (2021 to present)
- New Girl (2019 to present)
- Not Safe with Nikki Glaser (2016 to present)
- Rob Kardashian and Chyna (2019 to present)
- Roswell (2014 to present)
- Schitt's Creek (2019 to present) [12]
- Speechless (2021 to present)
- Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents (2016 to present) (from BBC Three)
- Supernatural (2019 to present)
- Xena: Warrior Princess (2017 to present)
Other former programming[edit]
- American Idol (Season 15 Only) (2016)
- Angie Tribeca (2019–2021) (Note: the first couple of seasons of this TBS comedy were shown in the UK by E4)
- Charlie's Angels (2011)
- Chasing The Saturdays (2013)
- The Dance Scene (2010–2011)
- The Hollyoaks Music Show (2009–2011)
- Joe and Caspar Hit The Road (2016)
- King of the Hill (2018–2020)
- Kocktails with Khloé (2016)
- Kourtney and Kim Take New York (2012–2014)
- Mariah's World (2018–2019) (from E!)
- Sex and the City (2018–2019)
- The Simple Life (2008–2010)
- Snoop Dogg's Father Hood (2008–2009)
- The World According to Paris (2011)
Music programming[edit]
- 4Music's Latest Vids - The newest & best videos right now.
- Big Saturday Hitlist - A Playlist of Tracks Played Every Saturday
- Box Fresh - A campaign launched at the beginning of 2017 as a replacement for the Box Upfront series of shows (excluding The Official Box Upfront Chart). Vick Hope presents all Box Fresh branded programming on TV.
- Fresh Forward - Abbie McCarthy and Yinka Bokinni present new artists and new music.
- From Day 1 - Selected artist/band retrospective. Formally presented by Will Best, Kiss Radio's AJ King, or Kiss 100's Manny Norte (also used to be available on Kiss TV, Box Upfront, and The Box), it is now presented by the selected artist/band. The programme now also airs on Box Hits.
- Hangout's - Interviews with the trending artists, while also playing their biggest releases and newest singles.
- Homecoming - Artists (such as Tom Walker in the episode broadcast on 27 September 2019) go back to their hometown.
- The Hotmix - A playlist of tracks that are cut down and edited to flow smoothly into the next track.
- Hitlist - Your day starts here join us as we play your get out of bed playlist.
- Showdown: ... vs ... - Music videos from two different artists.
- The UK Music Video Chart - Presented by Bethan Leadley and with data supplied by YouTube, The UKMVC supplies you with the most watched music videos of the week.
- UK HOTLIST Top 10 - This formally presented the Top 20 & 40 videos of the most streamed tracks on Spotify in the last week, but was shortened to the Top 10 because of the channel airing more entertainment programs as of 2018.
Former music programming[edit]
- The A-List Playlist' - The biggest music videos right now.
- 100% Super Hits - The chart tracks of the moment.
- What's Hot Right Now? Top 10 - The 10 best singles at this current point in time.
- Hot 10 in 10 - 10 huge tracks edited into a 10-minute remix like The Hotmix.
- This Week's Fresh Music Top 20 - A countdown of the 20 freshest music videos at the moment.
- The Official Box Upfront Chart - Presented by Jon Jackson and with data compiled by Radio Monitor, The Official Box Upfront Chart plays the 10 biggest pre-release tracks.
- 4Play!... - 4 videos from a one artist or group
- Tweet To Beat - Usually shown when Trending Live is off-air, but also for Box Plus competitions like Last Fan Standing. Two artists songs are played alternately, viewers can use the hashtags on-screen to choose their winner (e.g. #4MusicCalvin vs. #4MusicTaylor, or #BeyhiveBoxLFS vs. #SwiftiesBoxLFS for Last Fan Standing), the percentages are shown on-screen throughout and when the vote closes the winner then gets the last song of the programme.
- From The Start - Selected artist retrospective, from career memory lane - to today; this program replaces From Day 1, and From The Beginning, and is now aired on Box Hits.
- Hotmix - Non Stop Mix of the hottest tracks to soundtrack your day.
- Today's 4Music Top 10 - A chart compiled by 4Music of the "biggest" and "best" videos right now. The first ever Today's 4Music Top 10 Chart was broadcast on 18 August 2008 at 12:00 pm. Yeasayer were top with their single "Ambling Alp".
- Fresh Music Top 20 - Formerly, the 4Music Top 20, this is a chart compiled by 4Music of the "biggest" and "best" videos from the current week. The first ever This Week's 4Music Top 20 Chart was broadcast on 19 March 2009 at 3:45 pm. Replaced by UK HOTLIST Top 20.
- Your Official Top 20 - A chart is compiled of songs from a particular artist that has released at least 20 singles such as Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera and The Black Eyed Peas. The public vote for their favourite song on the 4Music website and the results are shown on the results show.
- The 4Music Buzz Chart - The first "4Music Buzz Chart" was broadcast on 18 August 2008 at 12:00 am. It shows a selection of pre-released songs charted into a top 10, similar to sister channel The Box's "Box Breakers". The first number one in the chart was "Jump in the Pool" by Friendly Fires and Bombay Bicycle Club's "Always Like This". The programme is no longer shown.
- 4Music Big Ones - A selection of pre-released and released singles. It plays all genres of music such as hip-hop, rock, pop, R&B, dance, folk, indie etc.
- UKHot40 - UKHot40 is a music video chart based on UK sales only, and documents the top records of the week.
- The UK Airplay Top 20 - The 20 most played songs on commercial radio this week. Now on Box Hits
- The Month with Miquita - A review of the past month's stories in the world of music with T4 presenter, Miquita Oliver. This programme is no longer broadcast.
- Orange unsignedAct - First aired last year as MobileAct Unsigned on T4, Orange UnsignedAct follows the search for Britain's next biggest unsigned band. No longer being made.
- From the Beginning - All of the music videos from a certain artist are played, from their first right through to the present day. They have included Take That, P!nk, Mariah Carey, Westlife and Girls Aloud. Replaced by From The Start, and now airs on Box Hits.
- Six Steps - Linking a couple of artists, through six stages. Snoop Dogg to Girls Aloud, Dizzee Rascal to Westlife and Madonna to McFly are a few examples.
- The Versus Chart - The programme is hosted by Matt Littler and Darren Jeffries. They both back an artist and show 10 mixed music videos of both artists with them to see which is "better". Eminem Vs. Kanye West, Britney Vs. Christina, Lady GaGa Vs. Katy Perry and Take That Vs. Robbie Williams are a few examples. Replaced by Showdown: ... vs ....
- 4Music Doubles - Two music videos by artists or bands. The first video, being their newest song, the second video, being their most successful song. "Imma Be" and "Where Is the Love?" is an example by The Black Eyed Peas.
- The Crush - A monthly show called The Crush (sponsored by KFC Krushems milkshakes) was hosted by Rick Edwards and later T4 host Will Best and contains interviews with artists that are releasing new albums and single in that month.
- Vote4Music - An interactive show where a set of 30 songs could be chosen by tweeting the relevant hashtag, the hashtag with the most votes was then played next and this process was repeated. The song that was chosen when the final song of the show is being played was then played at the beginning of the next show instead. Replaced by Showdown: ... vs ....
- Trending Live! - Live from Monday to Thursday from 4pm 'til 5:30pm (5pm until 1 May 2018) with Jimmy Hill, AJ Odudu and Vick Hope, Trending Live was the viewer's daily dose of new music and entertainment news centred on interaction with the audience on Twitter via the hashtag #TrendingLive and @TrendingLive & @4music accounts, and through Facebook comments. As of 18 April 2017 until 1 May 2018, Trending Live let viewers choose the music videos played in the You Select! segment from 5pm until the end of the show.
- Hit Mornings With Pandora
Award ceremonies[edit]
- Grammy Awards (2013 to present)
- Teen Choice Awards (2015 to present)
- Billboard Music Awards (2016)
V Festival and T4 on the Beach[edit]
4Music has coverage at both festivals during the Summer, with highlights repeated frequently throughout the Summer. The channel also has stages at both events. At T4 on the Beach since 2007 (renamed the "T4 and 4Music Stage" in 2010) and at the V Festival since 2005 (then known as the "Channel 4 Stage", renamed to the "4Music Stage" in 2008).
T4 on the Beach ended after T4 ended its final run on 29 December 2012.
Former logos[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Bauer's Box channels appear free-to-air on satellite". a516digital. 2 April 2013. Archived from the original on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ "YouTube video showing the channels removed from the Sky EPG in Ireland". YouTube. 3 April 2013. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ "4Music coming to Freesat", RXTVinfo, 2022-01-26
- ^ "Channel 4 airs 'eclectic, unpredictable' rebrand across all of its channels". The Drum. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- ^ Televisual.com, 2021-09-27
- ^ 4Music Presents The Box broadcast on Freeview channel 30, 1 October 2021
- ^ "Fire at Red Bee Broadcast Centre - Page 84 - TV Live Forum".
- ^ "4Music kicks off refreshed schedule from 9 November", Channel 4 Press
- ^ "4Music Launches Refreshed Schedule". 9 November 2021.
- ^ "TV listings guide".
- ^ "TV listings guide".
- ^ "4Music TV Listings - TVGuide.co.uk". www.tvguide.co.uk.