Disney+ and Channel 4 agree deal to put the broadcaster's channel and shows on Disney+ in 2027

Left · 2Disney+ and UK broadcaster Channel 4 announced an agreement that will bring a Channel 4 service to Disney+ in the UK and Ireland in early 2027. 1 2 Left · 2Disney+ customers will be able to watch Channel 4's linear HD channel and hundreds of hours of scripted and unscripted on-demand content at no additional cost, through a Channel 4-branded section. 1 2 Centre · 1Deadline describes the carriage of Channel 4's full linear channel on Disney+ as a UK first and the deal as one of the biggest of its kind in UK TV history; it adds that on-demand titles include Tip Toe and Big Mood, and that Disney+ will see a "regular tempo" of new Channel 4 shows, though Karl Holmes would not give a figure. 3

Left · 2Multiple Channel 4 shows each year will be available on Disney+ "day and date" with their Channel 4 release, including the drama Maya with Bella Ramsey, the comedy Stepping Up with Denise Welch and the reality format Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. 1 2 Left · 2Disney called the collaboration one of the most significant it has agreed globally to bring local content to customers, saying it would enhance Channel 4's reach and give Disney+ customers more choice. 1 2 Left · 2Channel 4 chief executive Priya Dogra said the service would help its shows "reach viewers in new places", while Adam Smith, chairman of direct-to-consumer at Disney Entertainment, said local broadcaster partnerships are very important to building Disney's content libraries. 1 2

Left · 1The Hollywood Reporter says financial terms were not disclosed, and that further details on launch timing and content will come later. 2 Left · 2The deal follows others between Disney+ and European broadcasters: Variety says it is one of around ten such deals, following one with ITVX last year, and the Hollywood Reporter also lists RAI in Italy, ARD and ZDF in Germany, SIC in Portugal, and RTVE and Atresmedia in Spain. 1 2 Left · 1Karl Holmes, general manager of Disney+ EMEA, called it Disney+'s "most ambitious yet" collaboration and said subscribers in EMEA were up 30 percent in 18 months, which he attributed in significant part to local shows; he said Disney+ wants to reach Channel 4's "distinctive and buzzy" commissioning and its younger audience. 2

Left · 1Dogra said the deal complements rather than replaces Channel 4's own services, which remain home to the vast majority of its programming, and that Channel 4 branding is preserved; both executives said they would like the partnership to broaden, and Channel 4 already licenses Disney programming such as The Simpsons. 2 Left · 1The Hollywood Reporter cites BARB data showing Channel 4's audience skews older than Disney+'s: 63 percent of Channel 4 viewing hours come from people aged 55 and over, against 11 percent on Disney+. 2 Centre · 1Deadline reports Holmes saying around 40 percent of Disney+ viewing over the past year came from 16-34 year olds, that the Channel 4 pact is broader in scope than the earlier Disney-ITV deal, and that "We're not competing with free-to-air partners"; Dogra said the two services do not overlap much in audience. 3

Centre · 1Deadline places the deal alongside Dogra's recent advertising agreement with Skydance-owned UK network 5, which she said gives scale in advertising, while the Disney deal helps reach people "who may not currently be using Channel 4 services"; Deadline also notes Netflix's separate pact with France's TF1. 3