21 July 2014

    A new S4C campaign with the title ‘It’s Your Choice’ begins at the Royal Welsh Show in Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, today (Monday 21 July) before setting off on a three-month journey of roadshows across the length and breadth of Wales.

‘On TV, online and on demand. S4C – It’s Your Choice’ – will be the main message of the campaign and the key aim will be to make the public aware that S4C can now be viewed on numerous platforms anytime and anywhere.

Another aim is to encourage non-viewers and those who don’t watch the channel regularly to sample the wide range of programmes available and to make use of the services on offer.

As part of the campaign, some of S4C’s celebrities and representatives of the channel will visit about 40 venues throughout Wales during August, September and October. The Royal Welsh Show – Welsh farming’s biggest attraction shown live throughout every day on S4C with highlights every evening – is the starting point. The campaign will then continue at the National Eisteddfod in Llanelli and at the Anglesey Show in mid-August, before travelling to towns, villages and communities in every corner of Wales.

As well as meeting some of the channel’s best-known faces, there’ll be an opportunity for members of the public to express their views about S4C’s programmes and services, there’ll be an information booklet to take away, a special campaign promo will be screened, there’ll be a competition to try, and game consoles which is another way that viewers can choose to watch S4C.

Ian Jones, S4C Chief Executive, said, “To be at the heart of the everyday lives of the people of Wales is an essential part of S4C’s vision. Our new campaign ‘It’s Your Choice’ will take us out to meet our viewers in their communities and it will also bring us face-to-face with those who don’t watch S4C, or who watch only occasionally. It’s vitally important that we listen to and talk with our audience and the public in Wales generally. We want to raise awareness of how many opportunities there are to watch our programmes which are regularly praised for their high quality.

“S4C is by now available to view across several platforms and our programmes can be seen online and on demand as well via a number of sources. We have a wide variety of programmes – something to suit everyone’s taste – and lots of new programmes and series for the autumn. We also offer a number of digital and accessibility services.

“And so, it’s time to take a fresh look at S4C and to encourage people to do so we’ll be visiting them on their home patch and at events like the Royal Welsh Show in the coming months. Come and have a chat.”

In addition to holding roadshows throughout Wales, S4C will be advertising the message ‘On TV, online, on demand. S4C – It’s Your Choice’ on television, radio, in cinemas, in the Press and online and they’ll be running a competition by asking people to complete a questionnaire on their viewing habits. The prizes will be a smart TV, laptop, smart phone and tablet on all of which you can watch S4C.

• You can watch S4C on TV in Wales and in Britain on Sky, Freesat and Virgin and in Wales on Freeview.

• To watch S4C’s programmes on demand for 35 days after transmission, you can use S4C’s Clic service which also broadcasts S4C live. You can also watch S4C programmes on demand on YouView, Facebook and some content on iPlayer - with all programmes available on iPlayer by the end of the year.

• You can also watch S4C live online on TVPlayer and TVCatchup.

• Among S4C’s digital services, the channel’s website will soon include a comprehensive sports package and a news package provided by the BBC. S4C’s YouTube Channel is being developed to include short clips of popular programmes and items. Via Twitter - @TifiaCyw – it’s possible to get translations and explanations of key Welsh words.

• The apps available through S4C’s service are Clic (on iPads and iPhones), the Weather and Cyw and numerous games and e-books can be downloaded through the S4C website.

• Among the other apps available soon will be a new S4C app enabling you to enjoy S4C’s content all in one place, Realiti which is an augmented platform with extra S4C content, Ap Dysgwyr, to run alongside a new on-screen service for Welsh learners and Cyw Byw, an uninterrupted stream of programmes for younger viewers available from morning until night.

• S4C’s accessibility services include subtitling, audio description, signing and the red button commentary service.

Ends