is a
British digital television channel launched as a pay-tv companion to
Channel 4 on
18 January 2001 . The "E" stands for ''entertainment'', and the channel is mainly aimed at the lucrative 18 - 35 age group. Programming includes US imports such as ''
Friends '', ''
ER '', ''
The O.C. '', ''
Smallville '', ''
The Sopranos '', ''
Six Feet Under '', ''
Desperate Housewives '', ''
One Tree Hill '', ''
Scrubs '' and ''
Lost '', mostly already on Channel 4, plus lots of home-grown
Chat and
Reality shows. Some of the imports are screened on E4 ahead of their Channel 4 broadcasts.
Every year, whilst the ''
Big Brother ''
Game Show airs, E4 devotes much of its schedule to ''Big Brother'' programming such as live coverage from inside the house and interactive features that give access to additional camera angles, although this feature has now been discontinued. The channel also allows ''Big Brother'' voting options and ''Big Brother'' "catch up" shows (i.e., repeats). ''Big Brother'' coverage is among the highest rating programming on the channel, and comes at a time when most of the year's American imports have ended.
On
16 December 2004 , Channel 4 announced that it would move the subscription channel to digital terrestrial television. It was a part of the
Top Up TV subscription scheme until
27 May 2005 , when the channel joined Freeview and became
Free-to-air . This decision was made in the hope of attracting a larger audience and increasing advertising revenue.
In May 2005, E4 began to air "First Look", offering viewers the opportunity to watch an episode of popular programmes, such as ''
Hollyoaks '', and drama series, such as ''
Lost '' and ''
Invasion '', in advance of their airdate on Channel 4.
In August 2005, E4 became a 24 hour channel with the introduction of E4 Music. It airs from 6am each morning (7am on E4+1) except if Big Brother or other reality shows are in progress.
In October 2005,
More4 was unveiled alongside E4 to complement Channel 4's digital channels. ''
The West Wing '' has since been moved exclusively to More4.
E4 launched a dedicated
Republic Of Ireland service in June 2002 and the channel has become the second largest viewed non-terrestrial channel in Ireland next to
Sky One . Advertisers can directly target Republic of Ireland viewers through this discrete signal which is seen in approximately 80% of Irish homes. Airtime can be purchased through Media Link in Dublin.
