Walt Disney Co. and Britain’s Channel 4 have reached what they described as a “landmark deal” and “first-of-its-kind collaboration” that will bring Channel 4’s main broadcast and on-demand content to Disney+ in the UK and Ireland” starting in early 2027.
“The agreement provides for several Channel 4 shows to be available on demand each year on Disney+ at the same time as their broadcast via Channel 4,” the partners said. “These include the drama Mayawith Bella Ramsey, comedy Intensify with Denise Welch, and reality format Celebrity SAS: Who dares to win – plus the main Channel 4 TV channel and additional on-demand content.
The news marks the latest content deal between Walt Disney’s streaming service, Disney+, and a major European broadcaster. It also struck deals with ITV in the UK, which were later extended to Hulu, Italian channels RAI, ARD and ZDF in Germany, SIC in Portugal and RTVE and Atresmedia in Spain.
Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro outlined his vision to make Disney+ the company’s “digital centerpiece.” Last year, Karl Holmes, managing director of Disney+ EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), highlighted the win-win aspect of content deals with European broadcasters. “In the markets we operate in Europe, the big free-to-air channels still have the biggest audiences, offer the biggest shows and have the biggest production budgets,” he said. “It’s really important that we work with free-to-air broadcasting. So we license free-to-air content. We license free-to-air content. We have co-production agreements in place with most of the major free-to-air broadcasters across Europe.”
Under the theme ‘Owning Our Future’, Channel 4 has focused on a digital-first, partnership-focused strategy designed to direct a greater proportion of its revenues towards distinctive British content.
Financial terms of the Channel 4-Disney+ pact were not disclosed.
“The collaboration with Channel 4 is one of the largest that Disney+ has undertaken globally to deliver high-quality local content to customers in markets around the world,” Disney said. “Building on their long-standing relationship, this deal will see Disney integrate Channel 4’s distinctive public service programming into the Disney+ premium streaming environment, enhancing Channel 4’s reach and providing more choice for Disney+ customers.”
From early next year, Disney+ customers in the UK and Ireland will be able to watch Channel 4’s linear HD channel, as well as hundreds of hours of scripted and unscripted content through its on-demand catalog, including Great mood, Tiptoe And 24 hours in A&E, directly on Disney+ at no additional cost.
The on-demand offering will feature a range of Channel 4 shows available ‘day and date’ on Disney+, with the streamer saying customers will have “access to several new Channel 4 shows each year as part of their existing subscription”. Channel 4 will be available on Disney+ through a Channel 4 branded section offering the same navigation and user experience as the rest of the streaming service.
“We’re thrilled to be working with Disney+ to offer audiences even more ways to discover and enjoy Channel 4’s brilliant shows,” said Priya Dogra, CEO of Channel 4. “Channel 4 is home to some of the UK and Ireland’s most acclaimed and trusted shows, and this new service will help these shows reach viewers in new locations. This exciting step shows how collaboration between broadcasters and streamers can create more choice and value for audiences.”
Adam Smith, president of direct-to-consumer at Disney Entertainment, said: “Partnerships with local broadcasters are very important as we build our content libraries and serve fans around the world. Channel 4 has created shows that are highly engaging for audiences in the UK and Ireland, and we are excited to bring some of these favorites to Disney+. This deal is the latest example of our global strategy, combining high-quality local programming and cultural relevance with complementary audiences and a more personalized streaming experience on Disney+.”
Further details on the launch schedule and content available through the partnership will be revealed at a later date.
Karl Holmes, Managing Director of Disney+ EMEA, and Priya Dogra, CEO of Channel 4
Courtesy of Disney and Channel 4
Dogra said THR that the contribution of the main linear channel, “a substantial on-demand offering and certain everyday titles” to Disney+ is based on a fundamental thesis linked to consumer trends. “As audience habits change and people go to more places to find content, Channel 4 must transform to meet these changing habits,” she explained. “And this deal will allow Disney+ customers in the UK and Ireland to be exposed to our brilliant public service programming, and it will complement our owned and operated linear, digital and streaming services.”
Holmes touted that bringing more distinctive local content to the Disney streamer adds a key offering to the “core of the Disney+ proposition which is Disney’s incredible slate of paid movies, complemented by Hulu-branded global general entertainment.” And he said THR: “We believe the next wave of our growth will be driven largely by local. We are experiencing very strong growth at the moment. We have increased subscribers in EMEA by 30 percent in the last 18 months (up from over 25 percent in June). Our engagement is also significantly higher, and this is largely due to more local originals and more quality local broadcasts from our free-to-air partners across Europe.”
He highlighted of the deal with Channel 4 in the context of the EMEA region he oversees: “This collaboration, however, is the most ambitious to date, and it will bring more shows, bigger shows to our customers here in the UK. »
Holmes also highlighted the key values of content as the driving force behind the deal. “Channel 4’s commissioning strategy is distinctive and dynamic, and we would like to benefit from it,” he said. THRemphasizing that the power of control of course rests with the British broadcaster. And he highlighted that Disney+’s large young adult audience was attractive to the new partner: “It’s a way to bring Channel 4’s biggest and most talked-about shows to our young audience in a premium environment on Disney+.” »
Indeed, data from the British measurement company BARB shows that 3% of Channel 4’s total viewing hours are consumed by people aged 4 to 15, compared to 17% on Disney+, 10% (compared to 39%) by people aged 16 to 34, 10% (compared to 21%) by people aged 35 to 44 and 15% (compared to 12%) by people aged 45 to 54. The rest, 63 percent (compared to 11 percent), is made up of a public aged over 55.
Calling the new collaboration “ambitious”, Dogra said that “one of the things that attracted us to Disney is not only that we are able to reach audiences that don’t always come to Channel 4, but also that they really understand the value of local programming and the value of brands. And it was very important to us that the Channel 4 brand was preserved alongside the programming.”
Both leaders believe there is scope to further expand the partnership. Could more Disney content be coming to Channel 4? “We already license a lot of Disney programming,” Dogra emphasized. We have everything The Simpsons has It’s usnot to mention Disney movies like The Avengers. And as this partnership grows, there will be other things that Karl and I will continue to talk about.
Holmes echoes this, saying: “We are all involved and we would like to see this evolve into an even broader partnership. »
Disney+ has learned a lot from its various local partnerships. “Over the past 12 to 18 months, we at Disney+ have gained significant experience working with broadcast partners in major countries across Europe,” he said. THR. “We’re learning what works best, and what works less well. This collaboration is the culmination (of what we’ve learned). But we’ll learn more over the next few months about what works and what doesn’t and how we should best present shows on Disney+ to make them work, etc.”
Dogra says his team will be ready. “We are here to make an impact, and the way you make an impact is to reach as many people as possible across the UK and Ireland,” she said. THR. “This has always informed our commissioning strategy. Once you see how audiences respond to a show, it only gives us more insight into potential new audiences reaching out to us, and that will continue to inform our future commissioning strategy.”
The Channel 4 CEO, however, doesn’t want anyone to misunderstand that the Disney+ partnership means any change to the services offered by the broadcaster. “It’s important to say that our owned and operated services, whether it’s the main channel or the streaming service, remain very important,” she stressed. “They still broadcast the vast majority of Channel 4’s programmes, but this (deal) is really a way for us to work with a brilliant partner and reach potential new audiences.”
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