www.channel4.com

The Channel 4 website has a wide range of content for channel 4 viewers. The website is very interactive with online games, forums and a chance to download channel 4 updates onto your mobile phone. The website is split into 7 different sections: watch online, TV, entertainment, lifestyle, documentaries, news and interact. This gives the audience a lot of choice and makes it easier for them to navigate around the site as it has been broken down for them.

The website can be used as a replacement for television as viewers are able to watch channel 4 programmes via the website. Moreover, audiences can also listen to the radio, ‘4radio’, which shows that the website can also be used as a replacement for radio.

On the home page of the website, there are various advertisement for upcoming channel 4 programmes, such as ‘deal or no deal’ and ‘Hollyoaks’. These advertisements have moving pictures and bright bold writing, in order to draw the viewer’s attention to them. Furthermore on the home page there is a video clip about climate change and saving energy. This is an example of how new technology has allowed for such high quality videos to be broadcasted online.

The website is directed at a wide audience ranging from teens to middle aged people. However, on the website there are links to 'E4', 'film four' and 'more4'. These links allow teenagers for example to access the E4 website which is targetted at their age group and is more relavent to them. On the other hand, older audiences may be attracted to the film four website where they can check listings and watch films online.

On the website there is a section for music- here channel 4 offer viewers a chance to catch up on the latest gossip in the music industry, watch music videos from their favourite artists, enter competitions and even listen to unsigned artists in '4unsigned'. The website also has podcasting where audiences can download radio programmes and listen to them in their own time. On the music page there are moving pictures of aritsts such as P.diddy, Nelly Furtado and Gwen stefani. In addition to that there is a scrolling marquee bar displaying links to the different areas of the 'E4 music zone'. For example, there is a link to the 'gossip monster' and to the 'take that competition'.

The 'tv' link on the website allows viewers catch up on their favourite channel 4 programmes such as 'Ugly Betty' or 'Desperate Housewives'. I visited the section on 'Desperate Housewives' and i was able to have a virtual episode guide, catch up on the episodes that i had missed and even view images of the cast members.

The main benefit of the channel 4 website to consumers, is that they are able to watch their favourite programmes online and even catch up on episodes that they have missed. This also benefits the institutions as it gives them the ability to attract potential new audiences. This is because viewers who have never seen 'Ugly Betty' for example, can watch the trailers, read about the episodes and get a feel for the programme before watching it.

The website also shows the coming together of television and radio, to allow a varied media to be consumed- convergence. The website allows viewers to consume different kinds of media with the use of NMT's. Moreover, the fact that channel 4 is an extremely prominant channel- it allows them to use their status to promote other channels such as E4 and Film Four.