Channel 4 shows could be coming to iPlayer

Key Points

Channel 4 is in talks to put its shows on BBC iPlayer
S4C programmes already appear on iPlayer
MPs strongly support a shared UK public service platform
ITV and COBA raised concerns about the plan
MPs rejected a paywall on older iPlayer shows

Channel 4 is in talks with the BBC about putting its programmes on iPlayer.

BBC Director-General Matt Brittin disclosed the discussions to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, which published its BBC Royal Charter review report on Thursday (1 October).

Brittin told MPs he saw a long-term opportunity to build a sovereign streaming platform in the UK.

The committee said it strongly supports opening iPlayer to content from other public service broadcasters.

The BBC agreed a deal with Welsh broadcaster S4C in January 2026 to carry its programmes on iPlayer. It has said it wants to open both iPlayer and BBC Sounds to other UK content providers.

Martin Baker, Chief Commercial Affairs Officer at Channel 4, described the idea to MPs as an extremely interesting proposal.

Magnus Brooke, Director of Strategy, Policy and Regulation at ITV, said the plan sounded more like an invitation to become a tenant on iPlayer than a shared platform. He added that he did not want to rule it out, given the growing importance of scale.

Trade body COBA warned that adding commercial broadcasters’ content to iPlayer could harm competition.

“It is really difficult to do. It is really complicated, but that needs to be a really serious consideration,” said Gill Hind, Managing Director of Media at Enders Analysis.

Only Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have bigger on-demand libraries than iPlayer, according to Ofcom.

BBC data shows that 62% of all children’s viewing of the BBC now happens on iPlayer.

“If you asked a lot of young people, ‘What is the BBC?’, they would say, ‘The iPlayer’,” said Jordan Schwarzenberger, co-founder and CEO of Arcade Media.

The BBC cannot put its full back catalogue on iPlayer because independent production companies hold the rights to many of its programmes under the Terms of Trade rules.

BBC Chair Samir Shah told MPs the corporation wants to change the balance of rights ownership when it commissions shows. The committee asked the BBC to report back on progress before the end of 2026.

The BBC is also exploring putting UKTV’s channels on iPlayer, clearly separated from BBC-branded content.

The committee rejected a paywall for older iPlayer shows but said the BBC could earn some revenue from limited older programmes and its archive. It wants an independent assessment of the economic impact on the BBC and commercial broadcasters.