British public service broadcaster Channel 4 saw a three-fold increase in viewership of its shows on social video platform YouTube, the organization said this week.
The report is the first of several future disclosures as part of Channel 4’s new initiative called “Fast Forward,” which is prioritizing distribution across digital platforms in an effort to reach younger viewers with its alternative programming.
Among the Fast Forward initiatives are a doubling of social media views across Channel 4 social profiles by 2030 as well as continued investments in distribution shows on YouTube.
Already, full episodes on YouTube tripled their viewership during the first three months of the year when compared to the same time period last year, according to Channel 4. Shows offered by Channel 4 on YouTube include full episodes of “60 Days on the Estates” and the flagship soap opera “Hollyoaks.”
More than 23 million views were logged across Channel 4 content on YouTube, representing an increase of more than 200 percent on a year-over basis, the broadcaster said.
Across all social platforms, Channel 4’s audience increased 12 percent to 626 million views during the first three months of the year. In April, the number of views stood at 232 million, a year-over increase of 9 percent.
” Today’s announcement marks further progress on our Fast Forward strategy and keeps us on track for a planned doubling of social views,” Matt Risley, the Managing Director at 4 Studio, said in a statement. ” Our growth on social is translating both into commercial success – with major rights distributors now entrusting us to represent social ad sales for their content – and for viewers it means even more ways to watch.”
Channel 4 is one of four public service broadcasters in the United States. The others include the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), ITV and Paramount Global-owned Channel 5.
Of the four, only the BBC and Channel 4 are considered publicly-owned outlets, while ITV and Channel 5 are commercially-supported private enterprises. The BBC is funded through a tax imposed on television-viewing households in the United Kingdom, while Channel 4 is supported through commercial advertisements run during programs on its linear networks.
