In a significant shift for the UK’s entertainment landscape, Channel 4 recently announced the closure of its suite of music channels, including 4Music, KISS, The Box, Magic and Kerrang!. This move has sent ripples through various sectors, notably impacting hospitality businesses that show music, such as pubs, clubs, and restaurants, as well as all others that have relied on these channels to enhance their ambiance and entertain their patrons.
A Cultural Shift
Since the 1990s, these music channels have been a beloved fixture in British entertainment. From The Box’s innovative viewer-requested music video model to 4Music’s curated playlists and exclusive content, these channels have provided a reliable source of contemporary music and pop culture. For many businesses, particularly in the hospitality sector, these channels have been an invaluable resource, moreso since 2013 when they became free-to-air.
Entertainment for Patrons
Pubs, clubs, and restaurants often use music channels to create a vibrant and engaging atmosphere. Whether it’s the latest hits on The Box, or themed music nights using Kerrang!, KISS or Magic, these channels offer a curated selection of music that appeals to diverse audiences. The visual element of music videos also adds a dynamic component to the environment, enhancing the overall experience for patrons.
Impact on Business Operations
With the closure of these channels, businesses face the challenge of finding new ways to maintain the lively atmosphere that these music channels provided. Here are a few key impacts:
- Increased Costs for Alternative Services*: Many establishments might need to subscribe to premium music channels, such as MTV or use other free-to-air services, such as Clubland TV or NOW MUSIC, businesses relying upon brand trust or “upfront” playlists may struggle to meet the unrivalled mix of the Channel 4/Bauer/Box Plus brands.
- Legalities: While streaming services like YouTube, Roxi, Spotify and Apple Music offer extensive libraries, and are a popular alternative for domestic use, they are strictly prohibited for public/commercial use.
- Loss of Curated Content: Music channels provide expertly curated playlists that cater to various moods and themes. Replacing this with self-curated playlists requires additional effort and may not achieve the same professional quality.
- Safety: Music TV channels are refulated by Ofcom, to ensure they are suitable for all audiences.
Opportunities for Innovation
While the closure of Channel 4’s music channels presents challenges, it also opens up opportunities for innovation in how businesses manage their entertainment offerings.
- Using TV differently: Businesses often use music TV to fill gaps in-between other events, such as sport, news, politics, and live events. Others use music TV as their only source of music in their venue. It might be worth exploring audo-only music systems and using TV to do other jobs for you, for example, using Pink Pinewood’s moodi system to handle music, whilst the TV’s can display rolling news or your business’ marketing.
- Switching Channels: This transition period can be an opportunity to support smaller broadcasters by adjusting the music heard in your venue, for example, replacing KISS with Clubland TV, Magic with NOW 80s, Kerrang! with NOW ROCK and 4Music with That’s Dance (or MTV HITS for Sky/Virgin subscribers)
- Leveraging Digital Signage: Advanced digital signage solutions can replace traditional TV channels. These systems can display music videos (subject to license*), promotional content, and even social media feeds, providing a multi-faceted entertainment experience. Pink Pinewood’s moodi video can run such systems and intergrate with Sky.
Sad to see them go.
A New Chapter in Hospitality Entertainment
The end of Channel 4’s music channels marks a notable shift in the entertainment options available to pubs, clubs, and restaurants alike.
Channel closures are becoming more common and are starting to make many business owners, especially those more reliant on TV for their business, anxious – a move to streaming makes businesses nervous because it doesn’t match the reliability and resilinace of traditional broadcast methods.
Pink Pinewood have been rest assured by Sky Business that satellite transmission is here to stay, even if just for business, at present, Sky Glass and Sky Stream products are not available commercially, however, in 2023, the Sky HD and Sky+HD systems were stopped for businesses, meaning businesses are now being migrated over to Sky Q. We reccomend Sky Sports businesses to move over to Sky Q before August 2024 in order to make use of Sky Sports +.
