TikTok And Channel 4 Tie-up: What’s It All4?
I hope you enjoyed that title as much as I did writing it
By Marta Markes
From the outset, Channel 4 has garnered the following of younger audiences that a broadcaster such as the BBC could perhaps only dream of.
Channel 4 is known for its younger-skewing audiences. Indeed, according to Ofcom, almost 80% of all people in the UK aged 16-34 are registered with Channel 4’s All4 service.
Still, Channel 4 is reaching out for more, expanding its in-house content creation unit 4Studio and looking to build ties with rising platform giants such as TikTok. This move does not come as a surprise when you consider the daunting landscape for TV channels combined with Channel’s 4 knack for experimentation.
More than a third (35%) of adults can see themselves no longer watching the main TV channels (BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5) within the next three years, with this proportion rising to more than half (51%) among 16-34-year-olds, according to an Ofcom report.
“[These are] multiskilled creatives who can make stuff in their bedrooms”
As the report highlights, experimentation with short-form and interactive content is one strategy being adopted to better compete for online audiences. In June 2020, Channel 4 partnered with another social media company, Snap Inc., to stream 300 short-form edits of Channel 4 content on Snapchat’s Discover platform over the next year.
4Studio, an official Channel 4 digital content creation unit, is based in Leeds and, with a small team of young creatives on board, their mission is to extend the social media reach of the channel through short-form video content.
Back in June 2020, at the time of the Snapchat deal, the team consisted of twenty people, described by Matt Risley, head of the studio, as “multiskilled creatives who can make stuff in their bedrooms''. The image reinforces the perception of what Channel 4 is trying to be - a cool media broadcaster for teenagers and young adults alike. A brand that is following the times and using the power of social media to strengthen its position. Cooler than rival broadcasters such as the BBC or ITV, even if lacking the magnet of programmes such as ‘Love Island’.
Instead, they choose to follow the lead of other equally popular news outlets.
In March, C4 hired former video department head of UNILAD and LADbible Group, Sacha Khari as a leader of the newly formed digital commissioning unit. Bringing on board creatives that have experience with top social media brands and that appeal to the younger demographics is another move by Channel 4 to capture the attention of Gen Z. The best way to do that is to 1) get on the socials and 2) adapt to the ways the target audience use the internet. Following the lead of LADbible means that they are trying to learn and copy the language and style of the younger audiences.
The newly created 4Studio is set to collaborate with TikTok on a series of promotional videos containing exclusive clips from the broadcaster’s flagship programmes, such as Hollyoaks, Gogglebox and Made in Chelsea. It is a part of the #LearnonTikTok initiative to create informative and educational content for its users. C4 is set to release around 150 videos as a part of the collab during the half-year duration of the project.
Much can be said about the platform itself. For some it’s a replacement of the legendary Vine, while for others it is only a wanna-be imposter, where mostly Gen Z likes to share the newest trends and challenges. TikTok’s are usually silly, a little strange, and extremely addictive. Are they also educative? That is subjective. What Channel 4 is evidently trying to achieve is to meet the younger generations halfway through sharing content where they are most likely to engage with it. While Facebook is still reported to be the most popular social media site with 12-34-year-olds, other platforms are gaining popularity with more momentum, and TikTok has certainly been at the centre of a lot of attention of late.
The plan being implemented by Channel 4 shows how they intend to take on the future of media. That future is in the hands of the young. And so this is where C4 is placing their fate as well. Looking up the first few videos produced for the TikTok collaboration, it is difficult to know whether they are on the right track… however, they are trying. Embracing the way that viewers’ tastes are changing may just work out to their advantage.