Channel 4 and UKTV have entered into a significant multi-year carriage deal, bringing UKTV’s ‘U’ service to the Channel 4 streaming platform by January 2026. This agreement marks a milestone as the first time Channel 4 will host a third-party streaming brand on its service.
The collaboration will provide access to hundreds of hours of programming from ‘U’ via Channel 4’s streaming service, featuring UKTV Originals like *Outrageous*, *Big Zuu’s Big Eats*, *Bangers & Cash*, and *Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake*, alongside BBC classics such as *Bergerac*, *QI*, *Red Dwarf*, and *The Office*.
This partnership aims to broaden the reach and appeal of both services. It will enhance Channel 4’s free, ad-supported content while introducing ‘U’s’ extensive catalogue to a wider, younger audience. Channel 4 streaming experienced substantial growth in 2024, with viewing minutes increasing by 13% year-on-year, while UKTV’s on-demand portfolio saw a 40% increase during the same period.
Jonathan Allan, Interim CEO, Channel 4, stated: “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 is in line with Channel 4’s *Fast Forward* strategy, which aims to transition into a fully digital public-service streamer. It reflects a growing trend of cross-carriage and content-sharing partnerships among UK broadcasters. For instance, earlier this year, ITV expanded its *ITVX Premium* service as a paid add-on within *Prime Video*, and it also established a reciprocal content-sharing deal with *Disney+*, enabling selected ITV titles like *Mr Bates vs The Post Office* to appear on Disney+, and Disney series such as *The Bear* and *Only Murders in the Building* to stream on ITVX.
These moves highlight a broader industry trend toward collaborative streaming strategies designed to expand reach, boost ad inventory, and maintain audience share against global SVOD competitors.