Channel 4 is shaking up UK media again with a new deal to make its content available on Disney+. The publicly-owned but privately-funded broadcaster will place both on-demand and scheduled programming on the US giant's streaming platform. This move comes as Channel 4 lost around a tenth of its linear TV ad revenue last year.
While the arrangement may bring additional viewers and ad eyeballs, it also represents a sort of capitulation. By placing new productions like Maya and back-catalogue hits like Taskmaster on Disney+, the UK broadcaster may earn licensing fees but also strengthens Disney's hold on UK audiences. The tug of war isn't lost: streamers need quality local content.
Disney's deal is its 11th with a European broadcaster, following France's TF1 bringing its channel to Netflix earlier this year. Channel 4, which once broke the BBC and ITV stranglehold in 1982, understands media industry turning points well.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing