Encompass wins Channel 4 playout contract
July 28, 2026 11.53 Europe/London By Julian Clover


Channel 4 has selected Encompass Digital Media to provide managed linear playout services under a new multi-year agreement.

The contract covers Channel 4’s public service, regional and thematic channels, including Channel 4, E4, More4, Film4, E4 Extra and 4seven. Services are due to launch in 2027 following a procurement and evaluation process.

Encompass will provide channel origination, content supply chain and disaster recovery services from its London and Riga broadcast facilities. The deployment will use its cloud-native Altitude platform, including Altitude Playout and Altitude Flow.

Marc Bruce, CEO of Encompass, said: “This agreement reflects the strength of our technology and our experience supporting leading broadcasters with highly resilient managed services. We look forward to working closely with the Channel 4 team as we prepare for service launch next year.”

Grace Boswood, Director of Technology and Distribution at Channel 4, said Encompass’s cloud-native technology and experience in modern broadcast environments made it “the ideal choice for our future needs”.

The resilience of Channel 4’s playout and access services came under scrutiny following the September 2021 incident at Red Bee Media’s west London broadcast centre. A fire suppression system was triggered, damaging systems and leading to disruption across Channel 4’s linear channels and All 4, including subtitles, audio description and signing.

Ofcom subsequently found Channel 4 in breach of its licence conditions after Freesat viewers were unable to access full subtitle provision for nearly two months. The regulator also criticised the broadcaster’s communication with affected audiences and said broadcasters needed to improve and audit disaster recovery plans.