Watch Film4 Live Stream

One of the initial goals of creating Film4 channel was to provide viewers with wider access to British and foreign movies and to somewhat counter Hollywood hegemony on the screens. In 2002, when the channel budget was radically cut, the head of the BBC Film division called it a very ‘sad day’ because the British film industry needed encouragement and the move did not look like an encouragement at all.

When in 2006 the channel dropped subscription and became accessible on Freeview, it was the only outlet offering diversified and free movies on digital terrestrial TV. Later it was joined by Movie Mix and Movies4Men.

Film4 was launched in 1998 as a subscription-only channel dedicated specifically to films broadcasting. The channel also offered the Film4oD, on-demand video service for ‘movie renting’ with flexible schedules and renting options, but it was closed in 2015.

Film4 logo was changed several times. First, it was the channel name put on the red band. In 2006, a new logo was unveiled: the word Film put inside the styled number 4 of angular shape, all placed against the red square.

Film4 has its time-shift version, Film4+1, but accessing it can be a bit tricky. First it was available on Freeview, then moved to Sky, Virgin and Freesat, returned to Freeview HD, and finally transferred to the Freeview PSB2 (DVB-T) multiplex, making it accessible to viewers with non-HD TV systems.

In 2006, after rebranding and moving to a free-to-air model, the channel saw a sharp rise in viewership, from 300,000 to 18 million. To mark the rebranding, on the night of the launch, Film4 presented Lost in Translation movie for the first time in the free-to-watch TV format in the UK.

Today, the channel positions itself as a part of the Channel 4 TV Company comprehensive package and features a corresponding logo: the numeral 4 made of black blocks with addition of the word ‘film’ in red lettering.

Film4 has its HD version, but it’s not available freely. Film4 HD needs to be purchased with Virgin Media and Sky upgraded packages, and it’s not included in Freeview packages.

Film4 was not a 24/7 channel from the moment of its launch. It broadcasts starting somewhere around noon and into small hours of the morning, the rest of the time being taken by teleshopping or a static screen informing that the channel will be on air soon.

Currently, Film4 not only broadcasts movies but develops concepts and provides funding for creation of new films as well. Its widely appreciated and award-winning releases and co-productions of recent times include Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Banshees of Inisherin, The Favorite, 12 Years a Slave, to name a few.