The channel focuses primarily on general entertainment programming targeting a male audience, including action series and films, gameshows, reality television, and sports.

It is the main linear television outlet for ITV Sport, carrying much of its football, cycling, darts, horse racing, rugby, and snooker coverage (with ITV1 used primarily for marquee events).

The channel had already been (and remains) available to Irish viewers on free-to-air satellite for some time, but it has not been listed in the Sky electronic programme guide since its removal on 25 January 2006.

Conversely, UPC Ireland also claims to have been in discussions right up to the last moment in order to continue broadcasting the channels.

It officially launched with Real Betis v Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League (Liverpool v Anderlecht was on ITV1 at the same time), the UK premiere of Kojak, and the film Carlito's Way.

It was delisted from Sky on 11 January 2011, due to the launch of ITV1 +1 taking up space on the EPG; the channel is still available on Freesat and Virgin.

Channel promotion includes pub factoids and idents featuring viewer nominated "dreams come true".

[15] ITV4 received its first revamp in nine years in November 2022 as part of a redesign of all of ITV's main channels, being carried out in tandem with the launch of the streaming service ITVX.

The logo is now coloured green and uses idents that are cross-used across ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, and ITVBe with different views which reflect the channel's image and programming output.