Channel 4 Q4 music line-up revealed; MTV and Sky Arts pledge label support

09:00 | Thursday October 27, 2011

By Tim Ingham

Music Week can today reveal Channel 4's November and December music programme listings.

Head of T4 and Music at the channel, Neil McCallum, described the line-up as “containing an obvious talent ladder that will offer formats for you to grow an artist into next year and the festival season”.
One of the standout series for new artists is Inside/Outside, which will both showcase two new acts each episode and allow acts who have broken through earlier in the year “a chance to bring their fans up-to-date”.
The good news doesn’t end there for labels and artists, however. Sky has told Music Week that it is “delighted” with the popularity of the first episode of The Jo Whiley Music Show – which airs on Friday night and is repeated on Sky One.
When asked if Sky Arts will commission more music programmes should Whiley’s show continues to be a success, Sky Arts programming chief James Hunt replied: “Absolutely. We never do anything by halves.”
Meanwhile, MTV UK is developing ideas for next year to give new artists a lift – very much in tandem with the thinking behind its Brand New campaign, which was announced this week.
Director of talent and music programming at MTV UK Matt Cook said, “Talk to anyone at a record label and you hear it’s getting tougher and tougher all the time to break new artists. Opportunities outside of the big X-Factor performances and big chat shows are very limited. It’s fair to say that we’re not in a Top Of The Pops world anymore, but music television broadcasters still have a very important role to play in aiding this process.
“Next year we really want to develop even more ideas to provide additional opportunities for bands of a certain level who aren’t necessarily going to be able to get one of the coveted spots on Jools or on Jonathan Ross. It’s often the case that once the first wave of publicity is over, it’s tricky for the labels to maintain the buzz around a new band or artist. This is dangerous and can kill the buzz around new acts - a problem we're committed to helping solve.”
Four’s company
Shows coming to Channel 4’s listings this Q4 include:
November
+ Ed Sheeran Live at Shepherds Bush Empire

+ Florence and the Machine: The Ceremonial Live from Hackney Empire
+ Special editions of the Album Chart Show featuring pop acts including Olly Murs, JLS and The Saturdays.
+ T4 Favourites: Snow Patrol (Featuring an exclusive performance from new album ‘Fallen Empires’)
+ Professor Green Unseen (Reality series documenting the life of the chart topping rapper as he builds up to the release of his second album)
+ SBTV: From Bedroom to Boardroom (Series charting the rise of the online music channel SBTV)
December
+ InputOutput – (Hosted by Mighty Boosh star Rich Fulcher, featuring two new up-and-coming bands each week)
+ Live from Abbey Road (New series)
+ T4 Stars of 2011 – (Music event hosted at London's Earls Court with performances from The Wanted, Jessie J, Wretch 32, Professor Green, Example, Ed Sheeran, Pixie Lott and Dappy)
+ A Very Cee Lo Christmas (One off programme filmed in the UK)
+ The Album Chart Show Introduces… (Featuring exclusive performances and chat with the likes of Labrinth, Cover Drive and Cher Lloyd.)