Channel 4 has become the first UK broadcaster to build an app for Apple Vision Pro — the immersive Spatial Computer that launched this year. This innovative app is designed can offer a cinema-style experience wherever you are, with the expansive screen overlaid onto real-life surroundings, like your living room walls or garden fence.
But the team at Channel 4 didn’t stop there, developing a bespoke environment based on the Taskmaster set to stream the latest episodes of the BAFTA-winning comedy game show, catch-up on older episodes, or watch anything else from the streamer’s catalogue. The optional environment includes the iconic red room, wallpaper, chandeliers, and throne from the set of the show, creating the feeling of being immersed in the show itself.
Apple offers a number of Environments included with the Vision Pro, including Yosemite, Mount Hood, and the surface of the Moon. These can be summoned while using apps like Mail, Safari and more, to blot out your real-world surroundings for a greater level of immersion. Twisting the Digital Crown on the ridge of the Vision Pro lets you set the level of immersion, with a full-twist completely surrounding you with the photo-realistic Environment.
If the Vision Pro detects that someone is talking to you, their face will breakthrough the Environment.
Disney+ was one of the first streaming services to add custom Environments to its app, with Vision Pro owners able to watch series and movies from the heart of the Scare Floor in Monsters Inc or the cockpit of a speeder on the surface of Tattooine from the Star Wars franchise, to name just a few.
The arrival of the Channel 4 app and its immersive Environment based on the Taskmaster set marks the first time we’ve seen a UK broadcaster take the same approach. The launch marks a significant step in Channel 4’s digital evolution, as the broadcaster continues to explore new ways to combat with changing viewer habits.
Speaking about the launch, Grace Boswood, Director of Technology & Distribution, Channel 4, said: “The new Channel 4 Apple Vision Pro app builds on our heritage of viewer innovation, be that the first broadcaster in the world to offer a TV-based on-demand service, or the first PSB to launch an HD channel in the UK.
“The app also enables us to create even more viewer delight in one of our most-cherished shows, Taskmaster, moving it from the TV to the physical world.
“As we transition to become a public service streamer, we’re constantly exploring new ways to entertain viewers and engage advertisers through technology which creates remarkable experiences.”
The arrival of the Channel 4 app comes as the UK broadcaster continues to implement its Fast Forward strategy, which kickstarted with the closure of five linear channels — 4MUSIC, The Box, Kiss, Magic and Kerrang — from platforms including Freeview and Sky TV.
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The broadcaster has signalled that more live channels could be shuttered “at the right time” as it pivots towards digital-first content delivery. Channel 4’s streaming service is available both as a free, ad-supported platform and as a premium subscription service called Channel 4+, which costs £3.99 per month.
The broadcaster aims to double its paid subscriber numbers by 2030.