Channel 4

So 10 years then, they've survived well.

Well not quite - almost exactly (bar 5 days!) 9 years. But I agree - still going strong.

I think they could last a little longer yet, though could do with a couple more new additions. Wish they made some effort at Christmas too - even without being too creative at all they could get some really nice idents out of the concept.

Film4 must surely be the next of the C4 family due a revamp - they've had the same idents since it launched on Freeview in mid-2006. C4 I think could get away with just refreshing it's presentation again before even contemplating changing the idents.

Channel 4 currently have the green button 'remind me' icon over a programme (Benefits Street) on Sky Digital.

EDIT: Something has broke. Now the EPG isn't updating.

I've just watched the much talked about 'Benefits Street'. R.I.P Channel 4. 1982-2014.

I doubt that, that programme is causing so much trouble, its basically actually covering the station remit.

Its not though. Channel 4 aren't supposed to be reinforcing the laziest of lazy stereotypes and prejudices. They're supposed to be challenging them. This wasn't old style Channel 4 taboo breaking, It was pathetic, formulaic and wouldn't look out of place on Fox News.

What I find slightly astonishing about both this and almost all the main 5 channels is that this time a decade ago they all seemed to be regularly refreshing their presentation every two or three years. It seemed like the days of long-running idents - the mirror globe, the Lambie Nairn 2s, the original 4s and the ITV region idents that had 20+ year runs etc - were long gone. But since then things have been fairly static.

This time in January 2004, these were the idents on the main channels and how long they'd lasted:
BBC1 - Dancers (March 2002. 1 year 10 months)
BBC2 - Yellow 2s (November 2001, 2 years 2 months)
ITV1 - Second set of celebrity idents (September 2003, 4 months)
Channel 4 - Squares (April 1999, 4 years 9 months)
Five - Erm, those random clips with the word 'five' over them (September 2002, 1 year 4 months)

Compared to January 2014:
BBC1 - Circles (October 2006, 7 years 3 months)
BBC2 - 'Window on the World' 2s (February 2007, 6 years 11 months)
ITV - Random clips with the abbreviation 'itv' over them (January 2013, 1 year)
Channel 4 - Spot the 4 (December 2004, 9 years 1 month)
Channel 5 - Screens (February 2011, 1 year 11 months)

Other than ITV and 5 that's a pretty major longetivity change in a decade, and surely BBC1, BBC2 and Channel 4 are all due refreshes very soon? Gotta say at least though that all five channels have much better presentation than a decade ago!

I would disagree that BBC Two has much better presentation than it did ten years ago, and I've always been of the opinion that the 'Squares' package for Channel 4 was on par with what followed it. I always liked the flexibility of that era of presentation.

I think that BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 4 and even Channel 5 have great presentation and don't need a refresh, but actually ITV does, I dislike their presentation very much and i think they've gone a step backwards, i love the new logo but their current idents are awful

I think all the terrestrial channels have great branding. I do feel BBC One's is becoming a bit tired however.

Channel 4 Simpsons ident to appear in episode of show to air in the US on Sunday.

http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/doh-channel-4-ident-to-feature-in-upcoming-episode-of-the-simpsons