canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/channel4.com/channel4

# Channel 4 API

The Channel 4 Programme Metadata Lookup Service Data (PMLSD) API exposes the broadcaster's programme catalog as Atom feeds covering brands, series, episodes, recently-added content, A-Z indexes, categories, and on-demand availability. It is the same data layer that powers Channel 4's electronic programme guide, with read-only endpoints scoped by category, channel, and date. The API is read-only and is intended for building TV listings, recommendation engines, and programme discovery experiences.

## For AI agents

Look up Channel 4 brands, series, episodes, on-demand availability, and category-filtered listings as Atom feeds. Useful for building EPG features, TV recommendation tools, and programme search agents.

## Scope

Does not handle live video streaming, user accounts, watch-history personalisation, or playback DRM - use for read-only programme metadata and listings only.

## Capabilities

- Browse the full Channel 4 brand catalog by popularity, category, or A-Z index via /brands and /atoz endpoints
- Fetch episode lists for a given calendar date through `/4od/episode-list/date/{yyyy}/{mm}/{dd}.atom`
- Retrieve recently-added on-demand titles using `/4od/recently-added/videos.atom`
- Filter programme listings by category and channel slot via `/categories/{category}/channel/{channel}` routes
- Pull individual episode and series metadata for a specific brand including synopsis and broadcast information
- Page through long programme lists using the /page-{pageno} suffix on every browsable feed

## Use cases

### TV Listings and EPG Apps

TV guide apps and smart-TV interfaces use the Channel 4 API to surface what is on the broadcaster's linear channels and the 4oD on-demand catalog. Endpoints like `/4od/episode-list/date/{yyyy}/{mm}/{dd}.atom` return everything that aired or was added on a given day, while `/categories/{category}/channel/{channel}.atom` narrows by genre and channel for grid-style listings.

Example prompt: Fetch `/4od/episode-list/date/2026/06/10.atom` and parse the returned Atom feed into a structured listings array

### Programme Discovery and Recommendation

Recommendation engines surface relevant Channel 4 programmes by combining popularity feeds, category filters, and A-Z navigation. Calls to `/brands/popular.atom` and `/categories/{category}.atom` give a baseline of trending and topical content, while `/atoz/{start_letter}.atom` supports A-Z browsing experiences in second-screen apps.

Example prompt: Pull `/brands/popular.atom` for the top 10 brands and cross-reference each against `/categories/drama.atom` to surface popular dramas

### Catalog Sync for Smart TV and Set-Top Boxes

Smart-TV vendors and set-top box integrators sync the Channel 4 catalog into their own metadata stores so they can present unified search and watch-now interfaces. Paged feeds like `/brands/4od/page-{pageno}.atom` let the integrator chunk through the catalog reliably, while `/4od/recently-added/videos.atom` keeps incremental syncs lightweight.

Example prompt: Iterate `/brands/4od/page-1.atom` through `/brands/4od/page-{n}.atom` until exhausted, then fetch `/4od/recently-added/videos.atom` for the daily delta

### Conversational TV Discovery via Jentic

An AI agent can answer questions like 'what comedies are on Channel 4 tonight' by selecting the right Atom feed through Jentic. The agent searches Jentic for the listings operation, loads the relevant categories or date endpoint, and parses the response, all without holding the API key directly.

Example prompt: Search Jentic for 'list channel 4 episodes on a date', call `/4od/episode-list/date/2026/06/10.atom`, and summarise the comedy entries

## Key endpoints

| Method | Path | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GET | `/4od/episode-list/date/{yyyy}/{mm}/{dd}.atom` | Episodes available on a specific date |
| GET | `/4od/recently-added/videos.atom` | Most recently added 4oD titles |
| GET | `/brands/popular.atom` | Most popular brands across the catalog |
| GET | `/atoz/{start_letter}.atom` | A-Z brand listings filtered by starting letter |
| GET | `/categories.atom` | List all available programme categories |
| GET | `/categories/{category}/4od.atom` | On-demand titles within a category |
| GET | `/4od/episode-list/popular.atom` | Most popular on-demand episodes |

## Key resources

- **Brands** — Top-level programme brands across linear channels and 4oD, browsable by popularity, category, channel, and A-Z
- **Episodes and Series** — Episode-level metadata grouped by brand, series, and broadcast date
- **Categories and Channels** — Genre and sub-channel filters that scope listings to a specific slot or audience
- **On-Demand (4oD)** — Recently added and currently available on-demand titles

## Why Jentic

- **Setup:** Wiring the Channel 4 API by hand means passing the apikey in the query string on every Atom-feed request, where it can leak into logs and referrers, and building the feed URLs yourself. Through Jentic you install once, import Channel 4 from the API Directory, store the key once, and your agent calls it.
- **Permission scoping:** The Channel 4 API is read-only over programme metadata and listings, so limit the agent to the operations it needs, such as listing episodes by date or browsing popular brands. You choose which operations it may call, and the feeds expose no write or account operations to grant.
- **Credential handling:** Your Channel 4 apikey is stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and appended to the request at execution time. It never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context.
- **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'list channel 4 episodes by date' or 'browse popular channel 4 brands', and Jentic returns the matching Channel 4 operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the reference docs.

## Related APIs

- **Vimeo API** — Vimeo exposes a creator-controlled video catalog; Channel 4 surfaces a UK broadcaster's licensed programme metadata.
- **BBC API** — BBC offers a parallel UK broadcaster catalog with its own programme feeds and metadata model.
- **IMDb API** — IMDb data complements broadcaster metadata with cast, ratings, and cross-network programme references.

## FAQ

### What authentication does the Channel 4 API use?

The Channel 4 PMLSD API uses an apikey passed as a query string parameter on every request. When called through Jentic, the apikey is held encrypted in your Jentic One instance and injected only at execution time.

### Can I get a list of episodes that aired on a specific day with the Channel 4 API?

Yes. Call GET `/4od/episode-list/date/{yyyy}/{mm}/{dd}.atom` with the date in the URL path. The response is an Atom feed listing every episode tied to that broadcast or publish date.

### What format does the Channel 4 API return?

Every endpoint returns Atom XML, not JSON. Plan your parser around the Atom 1.0 schema with Channel 4's namespace extensions for series, brand, and on-demand availability fields.

### What are the rate limits for the Channel 4 API?

Channel 4 does not publish a public rate limit for PMLSD. Treat it as a metadata API and cache responses where possible: brand and category lists change daily at most, while `/4od/recently-added/videos.atom` is the right poll target for fresh content.

### How do I browse Channel 4 dramas through Jentic?

Install jentic with pip install jentic, search for 'list channel 4 programmes by category', load the schema for `/categories/drama.atom`, and execute. Run Jentic One, the self-hosted execution layer, to issue an agent API key.

### Does the Channel 4 API support paging for long lists?

Yes. Most browsable endpoints have a /page-{pageno}.atom variant - for example `/brands/4od/page-2.atom` - so callers can iterate through the full catalog without overrunning a single response.

### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the Channel 4 API?

Yes. Because the Channel 4 API is read-only over programme metadata, you run Jentic One yourself and your own rules decide which operations the agent may call, such as listing episodes by date or browsing popular brands while blocking the rest. The feeds expose no write or account operations, so the agent can only read the listings you allow. Your Channel 4 apikey stays with your self-hosted instance and is added to the request at execution time, never reaching the agent's prompt or logs.