Strong start for revamped 'Film4' channel

The relaunch of FilmFour as 'Film4', a free-to-air movies channel, made a strong ratings debut on Sunday night.

According to early figures, an audience of 735,000 tuned in for the launch film - Oscar-winner Lost In Translation - at 9pm, peaking with 875,000 and a 5.2% share.

"It’s a testament to the channel brand we’ve built over almost eight years that such large audiences visited the channel at the first opportunity to view our films for free," said Tom Sykes, head of Film4. "I am delighted that we’ve been able to make this much-loved channel available at no extra cost to everyone in digital homes.”