Channel 4 and UKTV have announced a ground-breaking multi-year carriage deal that will bring UKTV’s U service to Channel 4 streaming from January 2026 – marking the first time Channel 4 has hosted a third-party streaming brand on its platform.
The cross-carriage agreement will make hundreds of hours of programming from U available via Channel 4’s streaming service, featuring UKTV Originals such as Outrageous, Big Zuu’s Big Eats, Bangers & Cash and Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake, as well as BBC favourites Bergerac, QI, Red Dwarf and The Office.
The partnership expands the scale and appeal of both services, enhancing Channel 4’s free, ad-supported offer while bringing U’s extensive catalogue to a broader and younger audience. Channel 4 streaming was the UK’s fastest-growing commercial BVOD in 2024, with viewing minutes up 13 % year-on-year, while UKTV’s on-demand portfolio grew 40 % over the same period.
Jonathan Allan, Interim CEO, Channel 4, said: “Loads of brilliant British content from U will complement our own bold, noisy shows and UKTV will benefit from tapping into our younger streaming audience.”
Marcus Arthur, CEO, UKTV, added: “This exciting opportunity demonstrates the power of media companies collaborating to drive sustained growth, with clear benefits for UKTV, Channel 4 and above all viewers.”
The deal aligns with Channel 4’s Fast Forward strategy to evolve into a fully digital public-service streamer and reflects a growing trend towards cross-carriage and content-sharing partnerships among UK broadcasters.
Earlier this year, ITV expanded its ITVX Premium service as a paid add-on within Prime Video, which goes live today, while also striking a reciprocal content-sharing deal with Disney+ – allowing selected ITV titles such as Mr Bates vs The Post Office to appear on Disney+, and Disney series including The Bear and Only Murders in the Building to stream on ITVX.
The moves underline a wider industry shift towards collaborative streaming strategies designed to extend reach, increase ad inventory, and retain audience share against global SVOD competition.
