Digital channels succeed with clear niches and strong branding

As a result, the UK digital TV channel landscape has undergone a transformation in recent times, as broadcasters overhaul their channel identities to better attract their desired audience.

A host of channels have rebranded or repositioned themselves, backed by significant marketing activity, as they attempt to stand out in a fragmented and cluttered environment. Digital TV marketers are clear that niche channels aimed at specific genres and audiences are the way forward.

Undoubtedly, the darling of the re-packaged digital TV market is UKTV's Dave, which has enjoyed considerable success thanks to its quirky name and the tagline 'The home of witty banter'. Its content is essentially no different from predecessor G2; Dave's triumph is down to being well-branded and differentiated from the rest of the EPG.

Other recent changes include a redesign for BBC Three, Five Life's transformation into Fiver and C4's efforts to make E4 a home for a younger, funkier audience. UKTV, meanwhile, buoyed by Dave's success, plans to turn its Gold station into a female-oriented variant of it.

Carl Ratcliffe, head of brand strategy and marketing at Five, says that the success of Dave confirms that branding has a vital role to play for digital TV. 'It's easier for digital channels to refresh their look because they can be strict about their programming and set the tone very well,' he says. 'It's exciting for marketers to look at how to use the brand to drive viewers to the digital stations.'

Channel 4's head of digital channels marketing, Cameron Saunders, also believes that digital channels must first create an appealing brand and then reap the audience figures. 'It's very important to have a good positioning and name. It's fair to say that niche channels are the future of digital TV, but the challenge is to deliver on your promise and meet the expectations of your brand,' he says.

Audiences, too, are buying into the concept. Dave has posted impressive viewing figures this year, reaching a peak of 486,000 during a recent episode of comedy panel show QI.

Alex-Debenham-Burton, a TV director at MPG, agrees that success for digital channels comes down to clearly differentiated brands. 'Everyone would use Dave as an example. It's got a quirky name, and a lot of its success is down to the platform its on and its positioning,' he says. 'Niche channels offer more choice to consumers and advertisers, which, in a fragmented TV market, can only be positive.'

Dave Brennan, director of research and strategy at TV trade body Thinkbox, feels that digital channels are moving away from a predication on content. 'When you brand a channel to a certain audience you help viewers create shortcuts to everything they are interested in,' he says.

'The emergence of digital TV created an explosion in choice, but now that broadcasters know more about their audiences, they are offering more choice through specific niche channels.'

Unquestionably, terrestrial mainstream channels have the benefit of their own brand strength and the resources to market their content.

However, niche digital TV channels are having a significant impact on the viewing figures, and with more changes in the market expected, the face of digital TV in the multichannel world looks set to transform into niche and genre-targeted offerings.

Digital channles

BBC

Digital youth channel BBC Three relaunched earlier this year, undergoing a full rebranding alongside the introduction of fresh programmes.

Five

Five has just rebranded its Five Life channel as Fiver in an effort to attract a broader audience, with a 'younger, faster, louder' offering.

UKTV

UKTV's relaunch of its G2 channel as Dave has been heralded as a masterstroke. Having signed up veteran presenters Richard and Judy, it is understood that the broadcaster is set to rebrand its Gold station as a female-skewed channel.

Channel 4

C4 relaunched Film 4 in 2006 as a free-to-view channel. Since then, it has relaunched E4 and set up More 4, which it calls an 'adult' entertainment channel.

Others

Discovery has relaunched its Discovery Science channel, with promotional activity designed to challenge people's misconceptions of science. MTV recently axed Flux and instead launched a one-hour, time-shifted version of MTV One.