The UK’s Channel 4 has extended its strategic partnership with YouTube in what is the first deal of its kind across the UK and Europe.
It will make hundreds of hours of programmes available on YouTube in the UK/Eire and enable Channel 4 to sell its own advertising around these shows.
According to Channel 4, the new deal represents a major step in its digital transformation as it continues to make significant strides against its five-year Future4 strategy to accelerate digital growth, reach young audiences where they enjoy watching content, increase new revenue streams, and build strategic partnerships to compete more effectively.
The partnership with YouTube, which is used by 98% of online 18-34-year-olds each month, will make 1,000 hours of full Channel 4 and E4 episodes from new and popular series available to watch across Channel 4’s YouTube network by the end of 2022, with content starting to roll out from this month.
Additionally, the partnership will enable Channel 4 to generate new revenues and support the broadcaster’s ambition to scale the Channel 4 brand on the platform. This includes the creation of a dedicated YouTube team within Channel 4’s commercial arm 4Sales, to enable Channel 4 to directly sell advertising around its content on the platform.
Commenting on the partnership, Alex Mahon, chief executive of Channel 4, said: “Innovative strategic partnerships are Channel 4’s speciality, and this new relationship with YouTube is another which will ensure we continue to keep growing our reach with young audiences and build on our unrivalled digital success.
“Together with YouTube we have created a powerful consumer channel full of our brilliant Channel 4 content. This will engage even more viewers through the enhanced reach and digital scale of YouTube, combined with the dynamism of the Channel 4 brand”.
Ben McOwen Wilson, MD YouTube, UK and Ireland, added: “I’m proud to welcome Channel 4’s creative, thought-provoking long form content on to the YouTube platform.
“As an open platform, YouTube is where UK audiences of all ages and backgrounds come to watch what they want to watch, when they want to watch it. It is fantastic to drive innovative partnerships such as this, to enable leading broadcasters to contribute to the diversity of content on the platform of choice for young viewers”.
