Channel 4 is this morning pushing out what they’re calling a mandatory update to their 4od iOS app for on-demand TV content. The major new features are downloadable content for “30-day catch up content” to watch offline at your leisure for a limited time, and the introduction of collections which link different programmes together by theme to help you discover great new shows.
Downloadable content requires you to sign up for a free account with Channel 4, but otherwise that’s about it. Two drawbacks that I’ve found so far; the app is a little buggy, and the selection of downloadable content right now is pretty poor. On the first one, in just 10 minutes since downloading I’ve experienced a series of random crashes to the app on both iPad and iPhone. On the second one, it seems that initially it’s Channel 4 made content only that can be downloaded, and even then it’s hit and miss.
This really frustrates me, because an advertised feature that rightly would get their watchers excited seems half baked. The iTunes Store listing clearly shows a screenshot with the hit show “Made in Chelsea” available as downloadable content. This simply isn’t the case right now. I tried it out on one of my all time favorite shows, Father Ted, and found I could download the very first episode of Season One, but not the other five episodes. Frustrating, and disappointing.
4od is available to download now for UK and Ireland customers free of charge from the App Store. If you’ve already downloaded it, let me hear your thoughts. As disappointed as I am?
- Free (UK and Ireland) – Download Now
