Channel 4 claims to have “led British broadcasters’ embrace of social in 2024”, as YouTube audiences for full episodes of hit shows such as First Dates, Murder Case: Digital Detectives and Grand Designs swelled by 169% year on year.
Citing newly released data for 2024, Channel 4 said its main YouTube channel “saw higher average views per video than equivalent channels from the BBC, ITV and Channel 5, as well as more views than ITV, Sky and Channel 5. Channel 4 News also drove higher average views per video on YouTube than ITV News and Sky News.”
All told, Channel 4 amassed more than 2.3 billion views across its social output in 2024, up 5.5% year on year. Hit shows included Gogglebox and First Dates, which drew 4.3m and 2.9m views respectively, while the Channel 4 Documentaries channel drove interest from viewers with series such as Murder Case: Digital Detectives (4.2m views), 60 Days On The Estates (2.7m views) and To Catch A Copper (2.5m views).
In parallel, digital-first youth brand Channel 4.0 continued to serve original digital content across YouTube and social platforms. The broadcaster said it “enjoyed a stellar year in 2024, with a doubling (+99% year on year) in growth across all social platforms – driven by series including Harry Pinero’s Worst In Class (8.4 million UK views), Minor Issues (7.9 million UK views) and Tapped Out (3.1 million UK views).”
Among all Channel 4 social platforms, TikTok – across the seven niche, genre-specific channels it now operates – posted the biggest annual audience growth with an 81% rise from 2023. Married At First Sight UK was one of big successes with multiple videos driving millions of views, including the series teaser earning 14.5m UK views.
Matt Risley, managing director, 4Studio (pictured), said: “Today’s news highlights Channel 4’s leadership on social, as we lead the way in extending the reach of public service media to digital natives, while delivering against our Fast Forward targets. The data also highlights the unique appeal of Channel 4’s social expertise to brands: driven by world-class content from our commissioning team, unrivalled social expertise from 4Studio, Channel 4 Sales’ ability to match brands’ storylines to a social audience, plus the capability of our distribution team to curate innovative platform partnerships.” You can check out our recent interview with Matt here.
Sacha Khari, Channel 4’s head of digital commissioning, added: “In just two years, we’ve built a huge global fan base for British-made original content across YouTube and social platforms. Growing this digital network has created incredible opportunities for my team to collaborate with UK producers, creators and brands – bringing Channel 4 values and award-winning content to young audiences. I’m excited to share more in the coming months about how we’re building on this success.”
