Textual Analysis – Channel 4 Website

This section of the Channel 4 website shows an image that represents one of their main shows with a list of options. The image used is from the programme ‘Educating the East End’ and is something which Channel 4 believe successfully represent their channel and the content included. It includes a TV listings link therefore the audience can see what’s comingup on Channel 4 and it also has a watch live option that links to an online stream of the Channel 4 website which means the audience don’t necessary need to have or be near a TV to watch the channel. There is a link to the list of programmes broadcasted by Channel 4 therefore the audience can search for any specific programme they’re looking for. There’s a link to their on demand service 4oD therefore it makes it easy for the audience to catch up on any programmes they’ve missed broadcasted on Channel 4 in recent weeks. Also there is a link to their ‘shorts’ (short programmes available to view online)which give the audience to opportunity to watch something not so time consuming and have a say in whether they would like to see a particular ‘short’ made into a Channel 4 show. The image used to represent the channel here connotes the idea of this channel being for all age groups and genders. Males and females young and old are shown here laughing and having fun which suggests this is a channel all age groups male and female can relate to and be entertained by therefore they are targeting a very mass audience. Also people of all different ethic minorities are shown here which connotes that Channel 4 programming is true to life and includes all different ethic minorities and that they don’t discriminate showing people of different ethnic minorities would enjoy Channel 4 programming.

Here in this section it has multiple links and features similar to what was in the previous section. There is another link to watch 4oD the on demand service provided by Channel 4 and includes several images to represent the programmes available to watch. There is also a row that shows the TV schedule for the night on Channel 4 with images to represent this shows and it also states the programme title and what time the show comes on therefore the audience have a clear understanding of what’s coming on. There is also another link to the online streaming service of the Channel 4 website and furthermore it states the current programme being broadcast. They have used simple typography, colour and images to create a simple visual style and layout as Channel 4 is a more formal and traditionalised channel who target a mass audience.

In this section of the Channel 4 website they include a link to a survey regarding dog owners. They ask a question of the audience saying “Are UK dogs happy and healthy?” They proceed to ask the audience to take part in the survey so they can find out more information which involves the audience as they are having educating the channel and it could be research for an upcoming programme on Channel 4 in this case to do with dogs. There is also an explore section which includes a link to a feature called scrapbook where the audience can keep a record of their favourite shows. Also there is a link to news which will give further information on the stories reported on the Channel 4 news and also includes a link to apps related to Channel 4 programmes and will help encourage the audience to download the app if they watch a particular programme and visa versa. Again the visual style and layout of this section of the website is very simple and casual as Channel 4 are looking to demonstrate their more formal and traditional mode of address.

Ideas for Inclusion

The ideas for inclusion our group has had from this website is to include a list of links that relate to the TV Channel and make the navigation of the website easier. For example links to TV listings, programmes etc make it easier for the audience to find what they’re looking for and they have an idea of what to expect from our channel. Another idea for inclusion is to include a feature of our website that would help to interact with the audience. On this website they ask the audience to take part in a survey and although the idea we have is not specifically for a survey but something that will help us interact with the audience we are trying to target. We will also hope to demonstrate the kind of audience we are targeting in our visual style through the use of images and colour to give a strong suggestion of the type of people who would enjoy our content and connote that people of different ages and ethnic minorities would enjoy our channel.

Ideas for Exclusion

One of the ideas for exclusion we’ve had from this website is the bland colour scheme. The majority of the colour scheme consists of black and white fonts and we feel that we should use brighter more attractive colours to make it eye catching to the audience. Also the text on this website is very small and doesn’t stand out to the audience therefore we aim to use bigger and bolder text to make it stand out to the audience. There is also little detail included on the description for the shows coming up on the channel and we feel that we should include as much description about the stuff on our channel as possible to attract an audience. Also there are a lot of blank spaces on this webpage and we feel that we should be filling as much space as we can on our page with information to attract an audience to our website. Therefore we feel the mode of address on this website is far more formal, laid back and we want to make our mode of address more ‘in your face’ and eye-catching in order to attract a larger audience.