Channel 4 has significantly expanded its digital footprint over the past year, with YouTube viewership of full episodes from its most popular shows more than doubling. Series like First Dates, Murder Case: Digital Detectives, and Grand Designs have played a key role in attracting audiences, contributing to a substantial rise in engagement across the platform.
Newly released figures for 2024 highlight Channel 4’s success in outperforming competitors on YouTube. The broadcaster recorded higher average views per video than BBC, ITV, and Channel 5, and secured more total views than ITV, Sky, and Channel 5. Additionally, Channel 4 News achieved a stronger performance on YouTube than both ITV News and Sky News, reflecting the growing appeal of its digital-first content strategy.
Digital expansion drives audience growth
As part of its Fast Forward strategy, which aims to accelerate social media reach, Channel 4 registered 2.3 billion views across its social platforms in 2024—a 5.5% year-on-year increase. The network has focused on building a global audience for British-made original content, ensuring that its entertainment and factual programming remains accessible across multiple platforms.
Sacha Khari, Channel 4’s Head of Digital Commissioning, emphasized the impact of this shift: ‘In just two years, we’ve built a huge global fan base for British-made original content across YouTube and social platforms. This expansion has opened new doors for collaborations with UK producers, creators, and brands—bringing Channel 4’s values and award-winning content to younger audiences’.
Broadcaster’s efforts to engage younger audiences have been particularly successful on YouTube. Views of full episodes surged 169% year-on-year, exceeding 110 million organic views in the UK. Several hit shows contributed significantly to this growth:
- Gogglebox – 4.3 million views
- First Dates – 2.9 million views
- Murder Case: Digital Detectives – 4.2 million views
- 60 Days On The Estates – 2.7 million views
- To Catch A Copper – 2.5 million views
Beyond YouTube, Channel 4 has also seen a surge in engagement on TikTok. The broadcaster now operates seven genre-specific TikTok channels, which collectively experienced an 81% audience growth from 2023. One of the standout successes was Married At First Sight UK, which generated millions of views, including a series teaser that amassed 14.5 million UK views.
