C4 Back Catalogue Available for Free Online

LONDON: Channel 4 has announced plans to become the first U.K. broadcaster to make its back catalogue available completely free of charge through its catch-up service, 4oD.

Starting in July, more than 4,000 hours of Channel 4’s archived content, will be added to the 4oD catch-up service. This includes comedy series such as Father Ted, Drop The Dead Donkey and BrassEye. Also available will be Queer As Folk, Shameless, Vic Reeves Big Night Out, Ali G and Teachers, alongside old episodes of lifestyle and property shows such as Location, Location, Location and Grand Designs. Currently, the 4oD service offers programs for 30 days after their broadcast. Certain Channel 4 content will not be made available online because of rights or legal issues.

Jon Gisby, the director of future media and technology at Channel 4, said: "We were the first broadcaster to launch a comprehensive video-on-demand service in 2006, and since that time 4oD has become one of the U.K.’s most popular VOD brands. We are extremely proud of the improved service and think the combination of fantastic content that’s easy to find and view will prove compelling for all users."