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EXCLUSIVE: Channel 4's Long-Form YouTube Strategy & Results

Happy Thursday War & Peaceniks! Ready to see more C4?

About a year and a half ago, I participated in a brainstorm at the Channel 4 offices in London, where we discussed a shift in their social video strategy - specifically the idea of leaning into YouTube as a “broadcasting” platform for C4’s premium, long-form content.

There was a lively debate among senior management about whether or not this was the right approach - with concerns raised about cannibalization of audiences, and environmental quality. Ultimately, the decision was to move forward, test and learn, and see how far and well they could execute and monetize this new approach to YouTube distribution.

They tested and learned for about a year, then took those learnings and jumped into long-form YouTube distribution with both British feet!

This week, on The Media Odyssey podcast, Matt Risley, Managing Director of 4Studio at Channel 4, gave me and Marion Ranchet an exclusive look at the results of C4’s efforts on YouTube:

Their success in turning YouTube into an outlet for C4’s premium programming, the additive nature of the audiences they’re attracting, the results of Channel 4’s monetization of their content on “the YouTube,” and how Matt and C4's senior team overcame the unknown to shift their long-form content digital distribution strategy.

Here’s a clip from the episode:

You can watch the whole episode here:

Or listen to the whole episode here.

There’s a lot to learn from the Channel 4 case study. Many of the anxieties traditional Media players have about leaning into Creator platforms like YouTube are based on emotions, not data. In order to succeed, very often you have to risk failing. The biggest danger in experimenting is that if it doesn’t work, you stop doing it. The future is made for those willing to test, learn, adapt, and change, not for those who sit on their hands racked with the fear of finding out.

Specifically, YouTube is now the biggest aggregator of premium content on TV. Those who see YouTube not as a competitor, but as the next generation of Comcast or Sky, will benefit most from the changing nature of TV consumption - adding audiences and revenues they will never get from traditional Media.

This is our first ever guest on The Media Odyssey - and what a way to start! It’s also the first time we’ve broken news on the podcast. But something tells me it won’t be the last!

Enjoy!

ESHAP