Thinkbox
For the first time, small to medium sized businesses will be able to run a single campaign across Sky, Channel 4 and ITV
New self-service TV ad buying marketplace aims to encourage new brands to TV
Powered by industry-leading ad technology from Comcast Advertising, and its Universal Ads platform, which launched earlier this year in the US
London UK – 17 June: Channel 4, ITV and Sky, in collaboration with Comcast Advertising, have today announced their intent to launch a groundbreaking advertising marketplace, that will allow easy access to a premium on demand and streaming inventory through a single campaign for the very first time.
This landmark move, designed to super charge the breadth of brands advertising on TV, will bring together addressable inventory from all three sales houses into a single marketplace. This will enable new-to-TV advertisers a direct, simple way to access premium video content.
For the first time, small to medium sized businesses will be empowered to access and purchase addressable inventory to run a single campaign across the three broadcaster sales houses - with biddable pricing and more tools – leveraging the scale and quality of programming and audiences across Channel 4 Sales, ITV Media and Sky Media. Providing simplified access across the three portfolios will make addressable TV inventory accessible for businesses that are used to buying their own media in social and digital environments.
Building on the rich heritage of collaboration between the broadcasters, the marketplace, which is set to launch in 2026, will be powered by Comcast’s Universal Ads platform and FreeWheel’s technology.
To drive continued innovation for all categories of advertisers and buyers, the broadcasters are also in discussions to simplify the purchase of addressable inventory for media agencies. This includes exploring the potential of a joint agency-facing solution, based on ITV’s Planet V technology.
Priya Dogra, Chief Advertising, Group Data and New Revenue Officer, Sky, said: “In today’s fast-evolving media landscape, we strongly believe success will require collaboration, simplification, and innovation. In partnership with ITV and Channel 4, and following the successful US launch of Comcast’s Universal Ads platform, we are excited to bring this to the UK and with it, the opportunity to open up TV advertising to new brands. Building on this innovation, we also want to simplify TV trading for established brands and agencies and look forward to exploring potential opportunities with ITV and Channel 4 to use Planet V.”
Kelly Williams, Managing Director, Commercial, ITV said: “As a TV industry, it is important that we collaborate to make television easy to plan, buy and measure for our established customers as well as the huge potential of new to TV brands. Both of these initiatives, this new marketplace for SME's and Planet V for agencies, represent a very exciting future.”
Rak Patel, Chief Commercial Officer, Channel 4, said: “This marketplace underlines what sets TV apart from all other media: its ability to collaborate at scale. By uniting the power of Channel 4, ITV and Sky through a single marketplace, we’re creating a new home for premium video while accelerating our Fast Forward strategy to become the first public service streamer.”
Thomas Bremond, Managing Director, Comcast Advertising, International, commented: “We are excited to work with the UK’s premier broadcasters to offer advertisers a simplified way to access premium video, powered by Comcast’s Universal Ads platform. The collaborations across ITV, Channel 4 and Sky showcases the industry’s commitment to bringing together tech, media and data to offer greater efficiency and effectiveness to TV advertising.”
The collaboration between ITV, Channel 4 and Sky represents a major development in television advertising, offering SMEs a self-serve, powerful tool to enhance their marketing efforts.
Key features will include:
One campaign, multiple broadcasters: For the first time advertisers can buy, measure, and report a single campaign across all the sales houses.
TV unlocked: A user-friendly interface made specifically for SMEs and digital- native advertisers that makes buying addressable advertising straightforward and efficient, meaning the for the first time, new-to-TV brands can access the scale, trust, and creative power of TV.
Focus on Outcomes: Tools and analytics to help brands measure and optimise their advertising performance.
Transparency and Quality: Commitment to high standards of TV advertising, providing clear metrics and reliable results.
About Sky Sky connects and entertains millions of people across Europe. At the heart of everything we do, is a belief that people deserve better. For decades, we’ve shaken up every category we entered to give people what they love, to make life a little easier and to provide great value. That’s how we bring millions of customers the joy of a better experience in TV, broadband and mobile. In TV, we offer the best sports coverage, unmissable TV and the smartest ways to stream and aggregate the TV you love. In broadband, we power homes and businesses, with a fast, reliable connection. In mobile, we bring people closer, with plans at unbeatable value. And now, you can even keep your home connected and protected, through our smart insurance. We design our products to fit seamlessly into your life, with service whenever and however you need it. That’s how we do better for customers. And we believe in better for society too. We power the cultural economy in the UK and beyond, making award-winning news, original sport, and entertainment. We contribute billions to UK GDP, creating and sustaining thousands of jobs and sharing both our journalism and our coverage of the arts, free of charge. We are cutting emissions and making recyclable, energy-efficient products, and we give back, through free internet access and digital skills for under-served communities and young people. Sky is owned by Comcast Corporation, a global media and technology company.
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 more than 40 years, it has been a British success story, engaging generation after generation of young people. Working with hundreds of 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 2024, Channel 4 launched its Fast Forward strategy to accelerate its transformation into an agile and genuinely digital-first public service streamer by 2030. It is designed to ensure Channel 4 embraces the generational shift in TV viewing, elevates its impact across the UK and stands out in a crowded market. From its bases in London, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol and Glasgow, Channel 4 is fully committed to harnessing the power of its regional structure to increase its impact across the UK. Through its training and development initiative 4Skills is opening up opportunities in broadcasting, with a particular focus on disadvantaged young people and addressing skills gaps across the Nations and Regions. 4Skills invests £10m in training, development and learning opportunities annually. Through Film4 Productions, Channel 4 also invests in British filmmakers to huge critical acclaim, producing 43 Oscar wins and 97 BAFTA wins in its history.
About ITV ITV is an integrated producer broadcaster consisting of ITV Studios and Media & Entertainment. In Media & Entertainment, ITV commissions brilliant programmes. ITV makes them available to audiences through its family of channels, the biggest commercial network in the UK, and through ITVX, the ad-funded, free streaming home for ITV and new programme premieres. ITV Studios is home to some of the best creative minds, crafting around 7,500 hours of original programming across 60 production labels. Our global footprint spans 13 countries including the UK, US, Australia, France, Germany, The Nordics, Italy and the Netherlands and our global distribution business sells our catalogue of 95,000+ hours to broadcasters and platforms around the world.
About Comcast Advertising
Comcast Advertising is the advertising division of Comcast. As a global leader in media, technology and advertising, the company fosters powerful connections between brands and their audiences as well as among publishers, distributors, MVPDs, agencies and other industry players. It includes a Media Solutions team that provides a streamlined way for advertisers to build brand relevancy and sustainable business outcomes through multiscreen TV advertising campaigns--powered by the media, data and technology assets of Comcast. Additionally, FreeWheel, its media and technology company, provides the technology, data enablement and convergent marketplaces required to ensure buyers and sellers can transact across all screens, across all data types and all sales channels, in order to ensure the ultimate goal – results for marketers. And, Universal Ads is Comcast Advertising’s newest arm that enables brands of any size to seamlessly create, buy, and measure ads across premium video directly from top publishers with no fees, unlocking new opportunities as a complementary strategy to social advertising. Comcast Advertising, along with NBCUniversal and Sky, is part of the Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA).
Visit comcastadvertising.com to learn more.