Annual report and accounts
The challenge today is how S4C can be loud and bold enough to compete with the endless hours of content from hundreds of channels, streamers and other platforms around the world. Research by Enders found that in 2010 there were fewer than 5,000 hours of content available for the audience to choose from – by 2023, there are over 120,000 hours available to choose as more platforms are launched.
Despite all the competition, there are opportunities – and we have to take advantage of them.
S4C had only one linear channel when the service was launched. Now, with all the different platforms available, there is great opportunity for S4C to share its content further. Enders estimate that half of 16-24 year olds will no longer watch content on the traditional TV set. We must therefore ensure that everyone can enjoy S4C content on their chosen platform – whether by watching catch-up, box sets, on Clic or iPlayer, or finding S4C on YouTube and other social media.
We are indebted to DCMS for the additional settlement from the Licence Fee that has enabled our transformation programme, which includes developing our presence on different platforms to reach the audience. The launch of Clic 2.0 offered an opportunity to update the look and feel of the app, while also introducing additional features for the benefit of the audience. It is pleasing to see that S4C/Clic is now available on 67% of smart TVs, with work continuing at pace to further increase this availability, and facilitate S4C’s prominence in the multi-platform world.
