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ITV4, a free-to-air British channel, was launched in 2005 as a great TV destination for people who love high quality entertainment that encompasses sports, classic cult films made in previous decades, and infotainment shows of various kinds.

On the launch night, the channel broadcasted the football match Real Betis v Chelsea and some classic dramas like Carlito’s Way, thus prompting what its future programming will look like.

ITV4 offers exclusive coverage of horse racing news and championships, like the Horse Racing programme on Saturdays. The channel’s feature is 60 days of racing obligatorily shown per year, including broadcasting of important racing events like Royal Ascot and Epsom Derby, the tradition that began in 2017 and continues till today.

ITV4 has its simulcast in HD that started broadcasting in 2010. The original HD content includes films and some important sport tournaments, like Tour de France, French Open (tennis), and UK Open (darts).

The envisioned audience of the channel is male viewers in the age brackets of 25-44, and the programming reflects this concept. Yet the abundance of high quality films and kinds of sports not represented on other channels make ITV4 a favorite TV corner for diverse audiences of different age groups.

ITV4 was specifically planned to replace the channel Men & Motors with its abundance of vehicles-related shows. However, at first, channels existed in parallel, and only in 2010 Men & Motors programming was partially moved to ITV4.

ITV4 is a home to the widest variety of sports programs and tournament broadcasts. The list of sports covered on ITV4 includes football, cycling, rugby, horse racing, darts, motorsport, snooker, wrestling, and boxing. Previously covered boat racing and cricket events were transferred to other channels.

The channel initially broadcasted in the evenings only, but as the audience grew and new programs and shows were added, the air time was expanded to daytime (starting in 2008).

In line with its initial concept of ‘sandbox for men’, ITV4 got promo ads that reflected the ‘man club’ atmosphere and included witty pub jokes and fun facts. The accompanying idents offered the visualization of ‘dreams come true’ in the extreme forms, like driving a Rolls Royce directly into a pool.

In the 2010s, ITV4 launched a cycling show that was designed to get more people actually cycling and interested in the biking culture. The Cycle Show included talks with celebrities who cycled regularly, competitions between cyclists and rollers, news about the latest cycling tournaments and events, and, ultimately, advocacy for more cycling infrastructure.