Editing Channel 4 (section)

==Carriage==
Channel 4 was carried from its beginning on analogue terrestrial, the standard means of television broadcast in the United Kingdom. It continued to be broadcast through these means until the changeover to [[digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom]] was complete. Since 1998, it has been universally available on digital terrestrial, and the [[Sky (UK & Ireland)|Sky]] platform (initially encrypted, though encryption was dropped on 14 April 2008 and is now free of charge and available on the [[Freesat]] platform) as well as having been available from various times in various areas, on analogue and digital cable networks.

Due to its special status as a public service broadcaster with a specific remit, it is afforded free carriage on the terrestrial platforms,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/psb_review/digitalpsb/digitalpsb.pdf |title= Digital PSB, Public Service Broadcasting post Digital Switchover, section 1.1 |publisher=OFCOM |access-date=30 December 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009182737/http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/psb_review/digitalpsb/digitalpsb.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2009 }}</ref> in contrast with other broadcasters such as ITV.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.itvplc.com/itv/news/releases/pr2005/2005-06-29/ |title=Ofcom determination of financial terms for Channel 3 licences ITV plc response |publisher=ITV plc |access-date=3 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061015170803/http://www.itvplc.com/itv/news/releases/pr2005/2005-06-29/ |archive-date=15 October 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Channel 4 is available outside the United Kingdom; it is widely available in the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.upc.ch/en/television/tv-channels/ |title=Channels – Television &#124; upc cablecom |publisher=Upc-cablecom.ch |access-date=4 September 2019 |archive-date=29 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629043247/https://www.upc.ch/en/television/tv-channels/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The channel is registered to broadcast within the European Union/EEA through the Luxembourg Broadcasting Regulator (ALIA).<ref>{{cite web|last=Cropmark|date=15 April 2021|title=Supervisory activities|url=https://www.alia.lu/en/television/supervisory-activities|url-status=live|access-date=17 April 2021|website=alia.lu|archive-date=27 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627141512/https://www.alia.lu/en/television/supervisory-activities}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.alia.lu/assets/upload/files/2021-03-17Liste-des-services-de-television-maj-mars-2021_site-ALIA.pdf |title=Services de télévision sur antenne soumis au contrôle de l'ALIA |language=fr |publisher=ALIA |access-date=22 June 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=20 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320130933/https://www.alia.lu/assets/upload/files/2021-03-17Liste-des-services-de-television-maj-mars-2021_site-ALIA.pdf }}</ref>

Since 2019, it has been offered by [[British Forces Broadcasting Service]] (BFBS) to members of the [[British Armed Forces]] and their families around the world, [[Forces TV|BFBS Extra]] having previously carried a selection of Channel 4 programmes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfbs.com/gettv|title=Access TV &#124; BFBS|website=www.bfbs.com|access-date=4 August 2021|archive-date=16 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716095200/https://www.bfbs.com/gettv|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Channel 4 website allows people in the United Kingdom to watch Channel 4 live. Previously, some programmes (mostly international imports) were not shown. Channel 4 is also provided by [[Virgin Mobile]]'s [[Digital Audio Broadcasting|DAB]] mobile TV service, which has the same restrictions as the Internet live stream. Channel 4 is also carried by the Internet TV service [[TVCatchup]]<ref>{{cite web|title=TVCatchup – Channel 4 |url=http://www.tvcatchup.com/watch.html?c=4#4 |access-date=8 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108154407/http://www.tvcatchup.com/watch.html?c=4 |archive-date=8 January 2014 }}</ref>  and was previously carried by [[Zattoo]] until the operator removed the channel from its platform.<ref>{{cite news|last=Andrews|first=Robert|title=ITV, C4, Five Also Get Yanked From Zattoo|url=http://paidcontent.org/2010/06/15/419-itv-c4-five-also-get-yanked-from-zattoo/|access-date=8 January 2014|newspaper=paidContent|date=15 June 2010|archive-date=8 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108154158/http://paidcontent.org/2010/06/15/419-itv-c4-five-also-get-yanked-from-zattoo/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Channel 4 also makes some of its programming available "on demand" via cable and the internet through the [[Channel 4 (VoD service)|Channel 4]] VoD service.