Our take...
The new catch-up service comes almost 18 months after the launch of 4oD. By providing catch-up through an easily-accessible browser-based platform rather than requiring an application download Channel 4 is removing one of the obstacles that is likely to have hindered consumer adoption of 4oD.

Despite this, channel4.com's streaming video library is much more limited than 4oD, offering far fewer TV shows with series available through the new service already offered through 4oD. An additional restriction is the catch-up window – episodes are only available for 7 days post broadcast unlike the 30 day window used on 4oD.

At first glance the new site appears to be a redundant duplication of Channel 4's existing video offering. However, Screen Digest believes the broadcaster's online video strategy is undergoing a period of transition. The introduction of a new streaming service is preparation for the launch of a joint online television venture from the BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4, currently called "Kangaroo". Whilst BBC iPlayer and ITV's catch-up service will continue to run on the respective broadcaster's sites, the 4oD application is expected to be phased out when Kangaroo launches at some point in 2008. In order to retain an individual Channel 4-branded online video offering the broadcaster has had to develop an additional service for channel4.com. The broadcaster has followed the growing trend of offering browser-based catch-up. Five has not yet launched such a service but Screen Digest believes one is currently in development.

With the broadcasters continuing to offer catch-up through their own websites it is difficult to foresee Kangaroo gaining a sizeable audience unless it launches using a browser-based model. Despite aggregating content from three of the major broadcasters in a single service the use of an application rather than browser-based delivery could prove a major stumbling block. Consumers are far more likely to stream shows directly from broadcasters' websites instead of opting for the more laborious process of downloading a Kangaroo application. With services such as iPlayer already established and rapidly growing in popularity it is unlikely that consumers, already familiar with the broadcasters' own individual catch-up offerings, would switch to an alternative application-based video source.