Channel 4 claims big rise in 4oD on PCs

Channel 4 has claimed the number of people using PCs to access its 4oD service has grown by 110% in early 2008.

There were 6m PC streams or downloads between January 1 and February 25. "This marks a 110% increase in PC users since January 1, 2008," said the channel.

The number of streams or downloads in January was also a 69% increase on December. The service claims to have 3.3m users - 1m on PCs and 2.3m on television through Virgin Media, BT Vision and Tiscali TV.

However, the BBC is still the clear leader in on demand despite not officially launching its iPlayer until a year after 4oD.

ITV.com figures show there were 2m views on its VoD service in January, though there are more streams across its entire website. In December that total was 8.1m. The iPlayer recorded 11m streams or downloads in January after heavy marketing across the BBC.

Sarah Rose, Channel 4's head of video on demand and channel development, said: "We are delighted by the performance of 4oD which continues to go from strength to strength. There’s a huge demand for on-demand viewing, something we recognised very early on being the first broadcaster to launch into this market and which is now being born out by the success of the industry as a whole."

The total views and downloads since 4oD began in January 2006 is now more than 100m. Its top five shows since launch are Hollyoaks, Skins, Shameless, Big Brother and Peep Show. This year's favourite so far is Skins.