Streaming Partnership: Channel 4 Broadcast and Shows Join Disney+ in 2027

Disney+ will carry Channel 4's main broadcast channel and a library of its programming for subscribers in the U.K. and Ireland beginning in early 2027, according to an agreement the two companies announced. The arrangement adds Channel 4's live HD feed and hundreds of hours of scripted and unscripted shows to the Disney+ app at no additional cost to subscribers.

The on-demand catalog will include series such as Big Mood, Tip Toe and 24 Hours in A&E. Certain Channel 4 titles will also stream on Disney+ the same day they air on Channel 4, including the drama Maya starring Bella Ramsey, the comedy Stepping Up with Denise Welch, and the reality format Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Karl Holmes, general manager for Disney+ in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said the partnership is the most ambitious his team has pursued in the region. He said Disney+ has spent the last 12 to 18 months working with broadcasters across Europe to learn how such arrangements perform. "This collaboration, though, is our most ambitious yet, and it will bring more shows, bigger shows to our customers here in the U.K.," Holmes said.

Holmes also pointed to the age makeup of the two audiences as a reason for the deal. BARB, the U.K. measurement firm, reports that 3 percent of Channel 4's viewing hours come from viewers aged 4 to 15, compared with 17 percent on Disney+. Among viewers 16 to 34, the figures are 10 percent for Channel 4 and 39 percent for Disney+. Viewers 55 and older account for 63 percent of Channel 4's hours and 11 percent of Disney+'s.

Channel 4 CEO Priya Dogra said the broadcaster's own apps and linear channel remain where most of its programming will live. "It's important to say that our owned and operated services, whether it's the main channel or the streaming service, still remain very important," Dogra said. "They remain home of the vast majority of Channel 4 programming, but this [deal] is really a way for us to work with a brilliant partner and reach potential new audiences." She added that preserving Channel 4 branding alongside its shows was a condition of the arrangement.

The deal is the latest in a series of arrangements Disney+ has signed with European public and commercial broadcasters. Prior agreements cover ITV in the U.K., RAI in Italy, ARD and ZDF in Germany, SIC in Portugal, and RTVE and Atresmedia in Spain. Adam Smith, chairman of direct-to-consumer at Disney Entertainment, said local broadcaster partnerships help build content libraries for viewers around the world.

Inside Disney+, Holmes said the company's subscriber count in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region has risen 30 percent over the last 18 months. He attributed part of that growth to local programming, including shows from free-to-air partners. Channel 4's commissioning strategy remains under the broadcaster's control, Holmes said, and Disney+ does not gain any say over what Channel 4 orders.

Disney+ will present Channel 4 content inside a branded section that uses the same navigation as the rest of the app. Additional details about launch timing and the specific programs that will be available are expected later.