The Nation Station: Channel 4’s brand image April 2020 So what exactly is… INSIGHT TOOLS INSIGHT PROJECTS INSIGHT SEGMENTATIONS AV:ID stands for Audio Visual At Channel 4 we have a Identities and is a segmentation that heritage with the youth divides 16-24s into segments based audience. For this project, on their video viewing preferences. we look into the We found five key viewing relationships young people preferences young people had in have with brands. This work 2016, and refreshed this thinking in looks at over 200 brands, 2019. We’ve coded the segments across 12 product & service into our 4Youth community so you categories COMMUNITY can put your questions to them. The UKTribes project began in 2005 4Youth is an online community with over a An initiative taking a and was based around the idea that thousand 16-24 year old members. We put proactive approach in visiting not all young people are the same. your questions to them each and every week 16-24s throughout the We found 5 macro-segments young to get the insight you need on this hard to nation. We get the downlow people were in - Mainstream, reach and rapidly evolving audience. on what young people think Leading Edge, Urban, Aspirant, about Channel 4 & a whole Alternative. We’ve coded the host of subject areas, segments into our 4Youth through running focus community so you can put your groups. questions to them. METHODLOGY THIS REPORT WILL INCLUDE: C4 INSIGHT PROJECTS C4 INSIGHT TOOLS EXTERNAL RESEARCH COMMUNITY We also asked over 100 of our 4Youth As part of the Nation Station project, we community members additional visited The University of Bristol and ran questions about the brand image and two focus groups with 16 students in type of content they were watching on November 2019. We asked students all Channel 4, E4 and All 4. This adds about their perceptions of Channel 4’s extra context to the findings we have brand image. found from our Nation Station stop. Channel 4 portfolio Brand Image An overview which looks at Channel 4’s portfolio brand image. The Channel 4 portfolio is favored by young people & resonates with them Index of 16-24’s that say one of their favourite channels is in the channel portfolio Channel 4 portfolio 110 ITV portfolio 81 Sky portfolio 72 Channel 5 portfolio 56 Source: GB TGI 2020 Q1 (October 2018 – September 2019), base = 16+, 16-24s must have said one of the channels is their favourite channel from each portfolio. All channels in portfolio listed on TGI5 are included as follows: Channel 4 = Channel 4, E4, More4, Film4, 4Music. ITV = ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, ITVBe, ITV Encore. Channel 5 = Channel 5, 5STAR & 5USA. Sky = Sky 1 , Sky Arts, Sky Atlantic, Sky Cinema, Sky Cinema Disney, Sky Witness, Sky News , Sky Sports, Sky Sports News. In the last 12 months, the 4Sales portfolio as a whole has reached… of 16-24s 6 Source: BARB/Techedge, 4Sales = includes all channels part of the 4Sales portolfio, April 2019 – March 2020. Young people resonate with the Channel 4 brand image CLICK HERE VIDEO 7 Describing C4 Words to describe Channel 4… portfolio’s “Diverse” brand image “Thought provoking” We asked young people their perception of the Channel 4 “Market leader” portfolio brand. Many used words that showcased how Channel 4 “Interesting” bought something different when it came to content – making for a thought provoking, diverse & “Comedy” exciting viewing experience. “Exciting” “They don’t play it that safe… not as safe as the BBC would play it. I notice it most with the shift between The Great British Bake Off from BBC to Channel 4.” “Bold” 8 16-24s LIKE Channel 4 for 3 key reasons VARIETY OF CHANNEL 4’S AIMED AT THEM: PROGRAMMING: VALUES: Channel 4 was mentioned as being a Channel that Many in the 4Youth community spoke about how they was tailored and aimed at young people They spoke highly about how they liked what the liked that Channel 4 had something for everyone and specifically. Meaning they acknowledge Channel 4 Channels stood for. To them, Channel 4 offered how they love that Channel 4 offered an extensive being a destination for like-minded young people, something different to other broadcasters such as variation of programming. They felt Channel 4 offered hence why they feel such a strong bond with the being inclusive, diverse and supporting new talent. This content that was intriguing whilst entertaining too. portfolio. meant they perceived Channel 4 as innovative and risk Speaking about genres specifically, they complimented taking. Channel 4’s drama, comedy and documentary offering. “…because of the variety of content you can find, and a lot of content is aimed at young people like “They really support the young talent of London. I love “Channel 4 offers its followers a wide and variable me who like to watch.” how they are.” programming both on TV and on its YouTube channel.” “I like the fact that Channel 4 promotes diversity “I like the variety of programmes and the fact that the “There's usually good documentaries and comedy on and celebrates individuals. Its the one channel I channel tries to be diverse and inclusive. I like these channel 4 and also Bake Off. The comedies are unique think relates the most to younger people because values.” and the documentaries are usually honest and thought of its exploration of the taboo or controversial provoking.” topics. Its an inclusive channel and I like the content it creates.” We gave both focus groups a selection of 40 images and asked them to place pictures they felt represented our channels best… CHANNEL 4: E4: ALL 4: They focused on Channel 4’s identity in the main. When speaking about E4, students spoke about The pictures demonstrate the two ways the focus The block of flats was mentioned across both how they likened E4 to being a channel that was groups viewed All 4. The first picture focus groups, speaking about how Channel 4 humorous, with a few referencing American demonstrated how they consume All 4, that represented diversity in views. As well as this, sitcoms to thank for this. They also picked the they’re able to view content in flexible ways e.g. they spoke about how Channel 4 had a tongue in rollercoaster as this reminded them of the old IPad. The second picture, they felt resembled All cheek sense of humor mimicked in the content. idents that were used across the channel 4’s quirky brand image, exclaiming that All 4 There was a focus on our content to, the portfolio, so automatically linked this to E4. hosts unexpected/investigative content that you magnifying glass showcased C4’s documentaries, Again, pizza was mentioned in relation to can’t find anywhere else. the sandwich resembled our cooking shows. grabbing a pizza and enjoying an E4 show. Did you know? Did you know? Did you know? Channel 4 viewers are 33% more likely to say E4 viewers are 53% more likely to say they All 4 viewers are 18% more likely to say they 10 they usually watch Food & Cookery TV shows. usually watch Comedy TV shows. usually watch Documentary TV shows. Source: GB TGI 2020 Q1, base 16+. C4 & E4 viewer = watched in the last week. All 4 viewer = used in the last 4 weeks. TV PROGRAMMES YOUNG PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE… We asked the focus groups to come up with a TV programme idea in small groups. Very interestingly, despite not seeing what one another had put, there were two very clear topic ideas: a love & want for more of The Secret Life Of… format and more programming with a political subject matter. THE SECRET LIFE OF… SHOW IDEAS POLITICAL SHOW IDEAS DAVID INTERACTIVE POLITICS: ATTENBOUROUGH & A politics themed interactive TV show FAMILY LIFE: in the style of Bandersnatch. This A show led by David would educate & entertain viewers by Attenborough that explores putting them in the position to make family life but in the style of political decisions and see the The Secret Life Of… series. repercussions of their actions. THE SECRET LIFE OF POLITICAL TWINS: COMEDY: A documentary which A satirical comedy all about explores what it’s like to be a politics, this would help twin – they felt this would be make politics more a good format as this is accessible to young people. accessible to any age group. CHANNEL 4 BRAND IMAGE How Channel 4 specifically resonates with young people 16-24 Channel 4 viewers are… Channel 4 has reached… 90% 30% more likely to say of 16-24s “I find TV advertising interesting and in the last 12 months quite often it gives me something to talk about” 13 13 Source: BARB/Techedge, reach = 3 mins cont, channels include +1,/HD, last year to date: April 2019 – March 2020. TGI 2020 Q1, base 16+, viewer – watched in the last week. TOP SHOWS THEY LOVE ON C4 When we asked the community their favorite show’s on Channel 4, they were enjoying a real mix of reality, escapism and entertainment. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that The Great British Bake Off took the top spot as this ticked all the boxes for young people. Whilst the majority mentioned shows that are still a staple of Channel 4’s schedule, some are no longer on Channel 4. Interestingly, young people spoke about how these had influenced, resonated and impacted them. My Mad Fat Diary (despite being on E4!) was one of these, they loved that it portrayed awareness of mental health issues in a relatable and educational way – this was important to them.