Channel 4 expands programmatic advertising reach with five new platform partnerships
June 22, 2026 13.04 Europe/London By Julian Clover


Channel 4 has significantly expanded the availability of its streaming advertising inventory through a series of new partnerships with Amazon Ads, FreeWheel, Hawk, PubMatic and Yahoo DSP.

The agreements will make Channel 4’s video-on-demand advertising inventory accessible through a wider range of programmatic buying platforms, giving advertisers greater flexibility to purchase campaigns across the broadcaster’s streaming content and audience segments.

The move follows Channel 4’s recent expansion of its partnership with Google Display & Video 360, which allows advertisers to overlay Google Audiences onto Channel 4 inventory. Together, the agreements form part of a broader strategy to increase accessibility to Channel 4’s premium advertising inventory while maintaining the broadcaster’s content and brand safety standards.

Channel 4’s inventory will become available through Amazon DSP during the third quarter of 2026, placing its content alongside other major streaming services already available through the platform, including Prime Video, Netflix and Disney+. The announcement follows Channel 4’s strongest-ever first quarter for streaming audiences.

Additional integrations include availability through PubMatic Activate, FreeWheel Buyer Cloud, Hawk DSP and Yahoo DSP, giving agencies and brands multiple routes to access inventory around Channel 4 programming in real time.

Rak Patel, Chief Commercial Officer at Channel 4, said: “In response to market demand for greater flexibility and scale in programmatic, these integrations perfectly align with our advertiser-led, agency-aligned strategy and our commitment to continuous innovation.

“By making Channel 4’s distinctive content and rich audience insights available through these partnerships, we’re making it easier than ever for brands to plan and activate campaigns with real impact.”

The agreements reflect the growing importance of programmatic trading in connected television advertising, where broadcasters are increasingly seeking to balance the scale and efficiency offered by automated buying platforms with the premium positioning of broadcaster-owned inventory.

Phil Christer, Managing Director, UK, at Amazon Ads, said the partnership would simplify access to premium streaming audiences. “By removing complexity from video planning and buying, brands can focus on what matters most: connecting with the right audiences at the right moment,” he said.

The latest agreements also strengthen Channel 4’s position in the rapidly evolving connected TV advertising market, where broadcasters are competing with global streaming platforms for advertising budgets while seeking to maximise the value of their growing digital audiences.

The broadcaster said all advertising campaigns delivered through the new platforms will continue to comply with both Clearcast regulations and Channel 4’s own creative and ethical standards.