Extending a partnership that the pay-TV provider and UK broadcaster agreed in September 2019, Channel 4 and Sky have renewed their long-term commercial arrangement.
The two companies expressed their confidence that their new multi-year agreement will give them more opportunities to collaborate, support commercial growth, and innovate as broadcasting evolves in the future. It extends the current agreement for several years, ensuring that Sky customers continue to have access to Channel 4 brands and content across Sky’s products, with deep integration into Sky’s product innovation as well as what are claimed to be high levels of content discoverability.
The partnership will also see additional Channel 4 content available to Sky customers and will see further and deeper integration of All 4 into all of Sky’s existing and future TV products. Channel 4 is seen as having the opportunity to unlock new digital advertising revenues to support the delivery of its Future4 strategy.
Using advertising technologies developed by Freewheel, Channel 4’s advertising inventory across linear and on demand will become addressable allowing, said the broadcaster, the ability to further improve its content monetisation across Sky’s platforms. This builds on the partnership whereby Channel 4 Sales can integrate with Sky Media’s AdSmart scheme, to better tailor ads to different pay-TV households, and support the CFlight unified advertising metric to capture all live, on-demand and time-shifted commercial impressions.
The deal will also enable Sky customers to be offered a broader range of Channel 4 content including more than 1000 hours of All 4 Exclusives. This is in addition to catch-up and a range of must-see Channel 4 box sets, including a variety of upfront box set stacks where entire series are made available ahead of linear broadcast.
“When we set out our Future4 strategy last year, we made clear that securing strategic distribution partnerships would be a vital part of ensuring we can maximise our reach and impact with viewers in a digital age, grow our revenues and compete more effectively for the future,” said Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon commenting on the deal. “I’m delighted to have agreed this deal which extends a longstanding and incredibly successful partnership between Channel 4 and Sky.”
Sky executive VP and chief executive UK and Europe Stephen van Rooyen added: “We know how much Sky customers love Channel 4’s content so it’s great that we’ve secured an extension, and expansion, to our existing agreement. This brings Sky customers more of what they want and supports Channel 4 to deliver on their key priorities, all while providing both parties with long-term confidence in the strategic partnership. The expansion of Channel 4’s content, alongside Sky’s existing partnerships, and the impressive slate of Sky Originals planned for this year, makes it even easier for Sky customers to access everything they love, in one place.”
The partnership will also see additional Channel 4 content available to Sky customers and will see further and deeper integration of All 4 into all of Sky’s existing and future TV products. Channel 4 is seen as having the opportunity to unlock new digital advertising revenues to support the delivery of its Future4 strategy.
Using advertising technologies developed by Freewheel, Channel 4’s advertising inventory across linear and on demand will become addressable allowing, said the broadcaster, the ability to further improve its content monetisation across Sky’s platforms. This builds on the partnership whereby Channel 4 Sales can integrate with Sky Media’s AdSmart scheme, to better tailor ads to different pay-TV households, and support the CFlight unified advertising metric to capture all live, on-demand and time-shifted commercial impressions.
The deal will also enable Sky customers to be offered a broader range of Channel 4 content including more than 1000 hours of All 4 Exclusives. This is in addition to catch-up and a range of must-see Channel 4 box sets, including a variety of upfront box set stacks where entire series are made available ahead of linear broadcast.
“When we set out our Future4 strategy last year, we made clear that securing strategic distribution partnerships would be a vital part of ensuring we can maximise our reach and impact with viewers in a digital age, grow our revenues and compete more effectively for the future,” said Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon commenting on the deal. “I’m delighted to have agreed this deal which extends a longstanding and incredibly successful partnership between Channel 4 and Sky.”
Sky executive VP and chief executive UK and Europe Stephen van Rooyen added: “We know how much Sky customers love Channel 4’s content so it’s great that we’ve secured an extension, and expansion, to our existing agreement. This brings Sky customers more of what they want and supports Channel 4 to deliver on their key priorities, all while providing both parties with long-term confidence in the strategic partnership. The expansion of Channel 4’s content, alongside Sky’s existing partnerships, and the impressive slate of Sky Originals planned for this year, makes it even easier for Sky customers to access everything they love, in one place.”
