Channel 4 partners with E.ON Next to revisit beloved format The Secret Life of 5 Year Olds

26 July 2024

• E.ON Next partners with Channel 4 on the social first series
• Ground-breaking partnership concepted by Mindshare and produced by Banijay UK’s DSP live on Channel 4’s YouTube from the 26th July

Channel 4 Sales’ Social Branded Entertainment division – the most viewed branded entertainment publisher in the UK on YouTube and Facebook, confirms the Grierson award-winning documentary series The Secret Life of 5 Year Olds will return with a new generation of youngsters.

The show, made in partnership with E.ON Next will see The Secret Life of 5 Year Olds return for a digitally savvy audience, as part of Channel 4’s Fast Forward strategy to create the best solutions for brands. Following a special episode to kick off the partnership, the new content will be available on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, enabling viewers to discover broadcast quality beyond traditional TV at anytime, anywhere, and on any platform.

The series will explore the awareness of climate concerns and eco-anxiety within the next generation and how to explore these themes to drive real societal change in the future. The series will help empower children to build energy saving habits and recognise the power they have in doing so.

Produced by DSP, part of Banijay UK, The Secret Life of 5 Year Olds provides viewers insight into the behaviours and interactions of a new generation of early years children. Observing them as they navigate the world around them, the show will capture the social interactions of the group who are all learning how to relate to each other, and touch on the topics that will be relevant to them as they grow up such as sustainability. 

While the five-year-olds take part in numerous tasks and games around these themes they will be under the watchful eye of highly trained early years professionals with Professor Paul Howard-Jones (Educational Neuroscientist, Bristol University) and Dr Laverne Antrobus (Paediatric consultant educational psychologist, Tavistock and Portman NHS trust) returning to share their insightful observations from this pivotal stage of childhood. 

Joe Churchill, Digital Commissioning Editor at Channel 4 says: “We are thrilled to be partnering with DSP to bring back such a well-loved, joyful and insightful series for a social-first audience. Channel 4 is the most viewed branded entertainment publisher in the UK, and Secret Life is a brilliant, modular format. By re-launching it on our social channels we’re aiming to connect the next generation of 5-year-olds with the next generation of social-first audiences.”

Rupinder Downie, Content Solutions Leader at Channel 4 says: “Since our launch it’s always been an ambition of our team to bring back loved IP linear shows with our advertising partners in a digital first format for a new social first audience. We are so excited to be working with E.ON Next and DSP to make this a reality. This latest partnership builds on Channel 4 Sales’ expertise to align brands to innovative content solutions.”

Patricia Synephias, Head of Brand and Marketing at E.ON Next, said: “In the UK, more than a fifth of carbon emissions comes from our homes, and as a playmaker that’s leading the transition to a better energy future, we believe E.ON Next has a real responsibility to help educate and inspire the next generation that using less energy is one of our greatest powers against eco-anxiety. It’s been a pleasure to be part of this exciting new series, helping us to get this important and serious message across through a bold, fun and progressive platform."

Ross Minton, Head of Invention, Mindshare UK commented, “Promoting energy saving in the home is such an important message, we are so proud of E.ON Next to have the bravery to do this in such a disruptive and engaging format. When we first concepted this, we only had one team in mind: C4 are the best in the business at social first branded entertainment”

Donna Clark, MD DSP, added: “The Secret Life of 5 year olds is a wonderful format and I'm delighted to have the opportunity to rework it for the next generation. Creating a social-first series also enables us to connect with a whole new audience which is hugely exciting.”  

This partnership with E.ON Next was brokered by Channel 4 Sales alongside agency Mindshare and builds on Channel 4’s pioneering partnership with YouTube established in 2022 which was the first of its kind in the UK.  As well as the strong slate of branded entertainment already announced this year which includes the mockumentary with Philips OneBlade, Underground: Shave Club and Celebrity Send Off in partnership with Co-op Funeralcare.