As younger audiences become harder to reach on linear TV, broadcasters have been stepping up their efforts to reach those viewers on third-party video platforms. So far most of that strategy has been focused on YouTube, a move that has delivered significant extra reach and viewership for the UK broadcasters, as VideoWeek reported last year.
But over the past year, music streaming service Spotify has been making inroads into the video space, with a push for video podcasts on its platform. On Tuesday’s earnings update, the company announced that video podcast consumption has increased by more than 90 percent over the past year, and Spotify now hosts more than 530,000 video podcast shows.
Today Channel 4 adds to that library with the launch of its digital channel, A Comedy Thing by Channel 4, on Spotify. The channel launched on YouTube last summer, with comedians such as Vittorio Angelone, Olga Koch and Mike Rice contributing to its comedy formats. These include The Split, The Front Row, Joke Swap and The Lying Game, with episodes typically running between 10 and 30 minutes in length.
Last year the UK broadcaster started distributing content from its digital brand Channel 4.0 on Spotify, and aims “to meet young audiences on the platforms where they are” by making the comedy channel available to all Spotify users on mobile and desktop apps.
“Following our launch on Spotify last summer, we’re excited to bring Channel 4’s premium comedy content to our audiences where they are, on the digital platforms they love,” said Grace Boswood, Channel 4 Technology & Distribution Director. “We are thrilled to introduce Spotify audiences to the next wave of British comedians to share, watch and laugh along with anywhere.”
Changing the form
The launch forms part of a broader play for younger, digital-first audiences by the UK broadcaster. In 2024, Channel 4 launched its ‘Fast Forward’ strategy to accelerate its transformation into a “digital-first public service streamer” by 2030. And last month, the company announced it reached a “tipping point” in 2025 whereby more than half of its total viewing from the 16-34 age bracket came from its streaming service.
As part of those efforts, Channel 4 has looked to social media channels to get its content in front of younger audiences. The broadcaster started distributing short-form clips on Snapchat in 2018, as well as TikTok in 2021. The company then extended this strategy to long-form content, and began making full episodes of its content available on YouTube in 2022.
Now with Spotify’s video business gathering steam, the Swedish company represents another distribution channel available to UK broadcasters. The streaming service launched the Spotify Partner Program in the UK last year in efforts to attract creators looking to monetise video content, in efforts to better compete with YouTube. Reports from Bloomberg last month suggest that creators can earn up to twice as much for video podcasts on Spotify compared with the Google-owned video service.
As competition heats up between the two platforms, UK studios are striking deals to leverage their respective audiences. Last month the BBC announced plans to produce content specifically for YouTube, while ITV Studios has also begun distributing content on Spotify, including clips from The Graham Norton Show.
“We’re seeing huge engagement with comedy video content on Spotify, so it’s great to be able to provide more content that we know our users will love,” said Alastair Ferrans, Head of International at Spotify. “In addition, Channel 4 has proven to be a great partner to us through recent collaborations, so it’s a no brainer for us to continue working together and delivering new experiences and formats.”
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