Channel 4 secures SSAI partnership for digital-first live streaming shift

This renewal solidifies Channel 4’s technical architecture as it aggressively migrates its business model from broadcast to digital. By integrating Yospace’s server-side solution, Channel 4 maintains broadcast-grade stability for massive concurrent audiences while offering the precision targeting required to grow digital revenues. This move is a critical response to the UK’s bifurcated advertising market, where linear revenue is shrinking while demand for addressable, large-screen inventory persists. Watch for Channel 4 to eventually roll out these SSAI capabilities to its expanding lineup of FAST channels.

The partnership extension arrives as Channel 4 executes its 'Fast Forward' strategy, a five-year overhaul aimed at ensuring the broadcaster’s long-term sustainability. Under this plan, per Channel 4, the organization intended to reduce its total headcount by 18% and decommission smaller linear channels, such as its music-focused Box stable, to prioritize high-impact digital content. By May 2025, Broadband TV News reported that Channel 4 hit its digital revenue targets a year ahead of schedule, with digital advertising reaching £306 million and accounting for 30% of total revenue. Overall non-linear income reached 39%, reflecting a rapid transition away from traditional broadcast dependence.

Market competition for addressable ad spend has intensified following the UK launch of Tubi in July 2024 and the continued growth of ad-supported tiers from Netflix and Disney+. According to analysis from The Guardian in December 2025, the UK streaming advertising market is projected to reach £1.38 billion annually, having more than doubled in size over a four-year window. This growth is increasingly driven by 'big screen' connected TV (CTV) viewing, which now accounts for approximately half of the total UK digital ad spend. At the same time, Samba TV reported in November 2025 that 74% of the UK’s top 100 advertisers increased their combined linear and CTV spend, though a significant 'reach divide' persists where 50% of households receive 91% of linear ad exposure, making digital-first platforms like Channel 4 essential for reaching under-served audiences.