For much of the past 15 years, Channel 4 has played second fiddle to rivals in terms of streaming. The broadcaster has begun to pick up momentum with a number of shows becoming runaway successes online.
- A Woman of Substance and Married At First Sight Australia drive more viewers to streaming
- Africa Cup of Nations and YouTube draws younger viewers
- Paralympics notable absence from top hits of the first three months of the year.
Channel 4 recorded its strongest‑ever first quarter for streaming at the start of 2026, driven by a mix of hit new series and returning favourites. According to BARB data, the broadcaster delivered over 20 billion streaming minutes in Q1 [Jan-Mar] — a 22% year‑on‑year increase, outperforming other commercial broadcasters.
It also strengthened its position with younger audiences: its 16-34 share of commercial impacts rose 18%, and this age group streamed 56% of all their Channel 4 viewing, peaking at 61% in March — the highest among UK commercial broadcasters.
Which Channel 4 shows were viewers streaming?
- A Woman of Substance – biggest new‑drama linear launch since 2019; strongest streaming debut since It’s a Sin (1.6m average streaming views per episode).
- Handcuffed Last Pair Standing – one of Channel 4’s biggest unscripted streaming launches, with 2m+ episode‑one views.
- Married At First Sight Australia – over 1 billion minutes.
- Dirty Business – best‑performing factual drama on streaming since 2021; 232m minutes streamed.
- Secret Genius – 2.1m viewers for episode one; 167m streaming minutes.
- Patience – streaming minutes up 69% year on year.
- The Great Pottery Throw Down (pictured) – streaming minutes up 29% to 677m; series nine achieved its biggest linear share yet.
- What Not To Eat – most‑watched new 8pm series since 2021.
Youth Engagement Highlights
Which programmes attracted younger viewers (16-34)
The following programmes saw Channel 4 attract younger audiences:
- Africa Cup of Nations (42million streaming minutes from 16–34s)
- The Great Pottery Throw Down, which nearly doubled its 16–34 streaming minutes to 103 million.
YouTube drives further growth
Channel 4 was the first of the big UK broadcasters to understand that to reach some audiences, they needed to make programmes available outside of their streaming app.
YouTube full‑episode views increased 11% in the first three months of 2026. Growth was driven by true‑crime content like 24 Hours in Police Custody and Social Media Monsters.
Paralympics notably absent
Despite Channel 4 investing much time into its Paralympics coverage, the sporting event held in Italy was notably missing from Channel 4’s list of streaming hits between January and March 2026. It had provided comprehensive coverage on streaming as well as via traditional linear outlets.
Nevertheless, Ian Katz, Chief Content Officer at Channel 4 was upbeat. Commenting on the figures, he said:
“With two new hit unscripted formats, our biggest drama on streaming in five years and one of the most impactful shows of the year in Dirty Business, Channel 4 has attracted viewers in droves this year, despite intense competition for audiences. I’m delighted that our purposeful and distinctive slate, driven by returning hits and bold new bets, is attracting young viewers and starting important conversations. With several more major unscripted launches and a string of brilliant new dramas and comedies coming to air in the next few months, 2026 is shaping up to be memorable year on Channel 4”
If the initial figures for 2026 continue for the remainder of the year, Channel 4 may finally be able to shed its previously poor streaming performance. It previously struggled to gain much traction versus Netflix, Prime Video and the iPlayer. Its online provision originally suffered from bugs and lower viewer awareness leading to multiple revamps and rebrands. Having lost younger audiences, it struck partnerships with social media companies to make content available on their platforms. Then in 2025, Channel 4 entered into a partnership with BBC Studios to launch content from UKTV’s U service on the C4’s streaming platform.
By: Marc Thornham | Image: Channel 4