Channel 4 App / Google TV

A thread possibly also for inclusion in the ‘Things that make you disproportionately cross’.

Trying to watch the Para Olympics live in the house.

We don’t have a TV signal / aerial. We watch using Google TV which works fine for BBC, ITV, Channel 5, Netflix, Prime etc etc etc but not Channel 4.

Therefore you can’t watch live TV on C4 in our living room. There’s no C4 app for our Sony SmartTV or the Google TV dongle. You can’t Chromecast it from your phone or tablet either. Looking into it, C4 have limited info on their web page:

It is not currently possible to cast the Watch Live service nor Clips and Extras. Channel 4 must acquire specific rights for some programmes in order to show these on a particular device, therefore some shows may not be available to cast on Google Chromecast.

I can’t fathom why all the other UK terrestrial broadcasters can manage this but C4, with all their government funding ;) can’t have an app or licence it. I also think some Smart TV’s do have a C4 app. So why can’t mine have one?

You can watch all C4 content live on a phone screen and even more bizarrely I think you can share the screen from an iPad while watching live telly, but not an iPhone using whatever Apple calls Chromecast

What is it with C4’s Live output that is so different from the other terrestrial broadcasters like BBC, ITV, C5 etc etc etc?

All I want to do is watch the games.

Rant over.

You can’t Chromecast it from your phone or tablet either

You can. Well on android anyway. Just cast the screen rather than trying to cast the app. Although I can cast the app directly as well.

Edit: well slap my knees and call me Nigel, apparently you can’t! I’m sure I use to be able to, thats rubbish.

The whole Channel 4 App thing is awful. Years ago I left a review on the Google App Store moaning about it and they did respond saying they’d added Chromecast support. I’m assuming it doesn’t support live streaming though.

Similarly on the Samsung TV the Channel 4 app allows you to watch live TV. But on the LG TV there is no option for viewing live TV.

It’s a steaming mess.

There’s a Channel 4 app for Amazon Firestick FWIW, and I use it to stream the live F1 highlights show

I have a Sony Bravia tv, it’s about a year old, and it’s got a load of apps available, although as I use Sky+ I’m not entirely sure which ones are native to the set, but if I use the Home button on the tv remote, along the bottom of the screen I have Netflix, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, 4, my5, Sony Pictures Core, Disney+, YouTube, BTSport, Apple TV, BBCSounds, YouTube Music, YouTube Kids, Crunchyroll and RakutenTV. Oh, and Paramount+ and Discovery+, which I watched all of the Olympic archery events on.

*shrug emoji*

…. And fire sticks run on Android!

[Shrugs]

I also think some Smart TV’s do have a C4 app. So why can’t mine have one?

because it’s old/shit?! This is the main problem with “smart” tellys and apps! So many slightly different platforms to try to support. If you have iPhones/iPad why not get an Apple TV instead of the Google thing? Channel 4 app works ok on that! And you’re virtually guaranteed that all the major streaming services will be well supported.

Actually my daughter has a chromecast TV plugged into her crap old tv and it has the channel 4 app on that.

The frustrating thing is that so many formats support an app (like Firestick and seemingly newer models) but not mine! Worse, live TV isn’t an option from most versions of the app either. But it is on others.

*Pickle emoji*

This is the main problem with “smart” tellys and apps! So many slightly different platforms to try to support.

Indeed.. I bought a Firestick even though Ive got a relatively new Samsung TV as I don’t trust Samsung to continue to support such apps for multiple years. In addition, I can install a VPN on the Firestick and bypass geographic restrictions…).

And when the Firestick gets “too old”, I can buy another one or an equivalent newer product for a lot less money than a new TV…

My cost-two-weeks-salary LG TV doesn’t carry the C4 app for reasons I cannot ascertain.  All the other on-demand / live stream apps work, but for C4 I have to use the app on the Xbox.