In what may well become a trend as 2014 progresses, UK
broadcaster Channel 4 has pulled its long form shows from its
YouTube channel in an attempt to direct more viewers towards its
own online offerings. Already a significant pioneer in mining Big
Data from its audience, this brings the metrics of another section
of the online viewership back under the broadcaster's control, as
well as maximising ad revenue. Those trying to access its shows now
simply come across the following statement: "As you may have
noticed, we've now removed all full episodes of Channel 4, E4 and
More4 programmes from our 4oD channels on YouTube. "As a
not-for-profit broadcaster funded by advertising, we put our money
back into the programmes themselves. To make the best of this
investment, we've decided to focus on bringing online viewers of
our full-length shows to our own 4oD apps - such as those on iOS,
Android and channel4.com. "These apps also allow us to encourage
more viewing by recommending programmes we think people will
appreciate, and to provide viewers with additional services."
Previews, clips, and trailers etc are still available.
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