E4 has been named Channel of the Year at the Broadcast Digital Awards for the second year running.
Channel 4’s youth-oriented station, which has developed a returning ratings banker in the shape of Tattoo Fixers, saw off competition from BBC4, CBBC, Dave, Discovery Channel and ITV2 to win the prize.
One of E4’s most celebrated recent commissions, Michaela Coel’s comedy Chewing Gum, followed up its Bafta success by winning Best Scripted Programme.
It edged out the Highly Commended Thirteen, which was BBC3’s first drama since becoming an online-only channel. Another E4 show featuring Coel, The Aliens, was also nominated in the category.
BBC3 won two prizes. Best Entertainment Programme went to the first series of hybrid comedy-reality format Murder In Successville, with another genre-blurring show, ITV2’s Release The Hounds, receiving a Highly Commended notice. BBC3’s coverage of the League of Legends World Championship won Best Sport and Live Event Coverage.
CBBC took home the most prizes overall at the ceremony, held on Wednesday evening at The Brewery in London’s Barbican.
The channel won its second consecutive Best Specialist Channel award, ahead of fellow BBC station CBeebies, plus Sky Arts, Comedy Central UK, Horse & Country TV and The School of Life TV. It also triumphed in a non-children’s category: Newsround report Hiroshima – A Survivor’s Story was named Best Non-Scripted Short ahead of offerings from BBC Earth, Vice Media, BBC3, All 4 and BBC Bit’s YouTube Channel.
Operation Ouch: The Snotapocalypse, a game devised by Little Dot Studios & Plug In Media to support the long-running CBBC medical show, was named Best Game.
In Best Digital Children’s Content, the Doctor Who Game Maker, co-produced by Aardman, beat entries from CBBC and CBeebies.
ITV’s digital strategy for the second season of the Formula E electric car championships won two prizes: Best Digital Programme Support and Best Content Partnership.
Elsewhere, Vice News was named Best Original Web Channel for the third year running, while UKTV’s Dave picked up Best Entertainment Channel, having upped its commissioning budget by 70% in 2015.
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