April 2023 is Channel 4’s biggest month for streaming, ever!

17 May 2023

• More than five billion minutes of Channel 4 content streamed in April
• Record breaking statistics driven by Married At First Sight Australia (MAFSAU)
• Hit reality show regularly crowned #1 in weekly broadcaster on-demand charts
• MAFSAU was #1 streamed broadcaster on-demand programme for eight out of nine weeks through March and April

Newly released figures have confirmed that audiences streamed more than five billion minutes of Channel 4 content in April, making it the broadcaster’s biggest month ever for streaming.

The record-breaking month, the largest in the broadcaster’s history*, was driven by Channel 4’s latest season of Married At First Sight Australia (MAFSAU) which has regularly occupied the top spot in the weekly BVOD (Broadcaster Video On Demand) charts for total minutes streamed.

Statistics for April show that the Australian version of the hit reality show has particularly captivated young viewers (16-34 year olds) and was the #1 streamed broadcaster on-demand programme for all audiences for eight out of nine weeks through March and April.

Across all platforms Series 10 of the hit reality show has averaged a seven day audience of 1.6m per episode.

Channel 4’s Chief Content Officer Ian Katz said: “Channel 4 continues to lead the way as the first public service broadcaster prioritising a digital future. And it’s fantastic to see audiences lapping up new shows like Tempting Fortune, Scared of the Dark and Rise and Fall alongside established hits like Married At First Sight Australia, as well as thousands of hours of entertainment available on Britain’s biggest free streaming service.”

There’ll be plenty of marital bliss and drama for viewers to enjoy when MAFS UK returns later this year with a 36-episode series which will see more brides and grooms than ever before, all matched by returning relationship experts Mel Schilling, Paul C. Brunson and Charlene Douglas.

The record-breaking streaming figures of April reinforce Channel 4’s Future4 strategy which prioritises digital growth and comes as Channel 4 brings all its services under one single brand ‘Channel 4’ across streaming and linear channels to enable British audiences to enjoy a seamless viewing experience wherever they choose to watch content.

The new figures, released by Barb, are the biggest since official data was first recorded in November 2021 and are the biggest in Channel 4’s history.

 

Notes to Editors

* Barb (Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board) is the broadcast industry’s standard for determining what people are watching. It began tracking what people are streaming in 2021 and its official data shows April saw more Channel 4 content streamed than any previous month. Channel 4 data analysts are confident that it is the largest in Channel 4’s history.

About Channel 4

Channel 4 exists to create change through entertainment. Publicly owned yet commercially funded, Channel 4 generates significant and sustainable cultural, economic and social impact across the UK – at no cost to the taxpayer.

The broadcaster’s distinctive remit is set by Parliament, and it has a role to represent unheard voices, challenge with purpose and reinvent entertainment. For over 40 years, it has been a British success story, engaging generation after generation of young people.

Through a unique publisher-broadcaster model, Channel 4 commissions its content from the UK independent production sector. Working with around 300 creative companies every year, Channel 4 makes a major contribution to the local, regional and national economy, creating and supporting thousands of jobs and businesses across the country.

In 2020, Channel 4 launched its Future4 strategy to become a digital-first public service media company and to continue to deliver significant impact for UK audiences and investment into the UK creative economy.

Across its bases in London, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol and Glasgow, Channel 4 is turbocharging its efforts to find, nurture and develop talent across the UK. Through its training and development initiative 4Skills, Channel 4 is opening up opportunities in broadcasting, with a particular focus on disadvantaged young people, and addressing skills gaps across the Nations and Regions.

Channel 4 has the UK’s biggest free streaming service plus 11 television channels including: Channel 4, E4, E4 Extra, More4, Film4, 4Seven and The Box Plus Network. Through Film4 Productions, Channel 4 also invests in British filmmakers to huge critical acclaim, producing 37 Oscar wins and 88 BAFTA wins in its history.

https://www.channel4.com/