TV Just Got Bigger: Sky, ITV & Channel 4 Unite📺

This week, Georgia Holmes, AV Director at The Specialist Works, delves into the newly announced collaboration between Sky, Channel 4, and ITV to launch a unified premium video advertising platform.

It’s a move that could dramatically simplify how entrepreneurial brands access and activate TV campaigns, especially for marketers at these brands looking to scale.

A New Era for TV

In a landmark move for UK media, Sky, Channel 4, and ITV have announced plans to launch a joint premium video advertising platform 📺✨. This first-of-its-kind collaboration will allow advertisers to plan and buy campaigns across all three broadcasters through a single, unified system, streamlining what has traditionally been a fragmented and complex process.

For entrepreneurial brands, this is a big development 🚀. TV has always been a powerful channel, but its perceived complexity and cost have often made it feel out of reach. This new platform aims to change that by simplifying access to premium inventory and making it easier for challenger brands to scale their message with the same impact as established players.

Why does it matter? 🤔

• The big three broadcasters account for the majority of viewing on the big screen (31.4% inc. BBC)

• If we just look at the environments advertisers can access, then that share jumps to 40% 📈

• Experience is consistent across platform and so is the need state of the viewer; highly engaged, quality broadcast, brand safe ✅

• The platforms are co-used, limited single use, so macro planning for audiences across all BVOD platforms creates big efficiencies 🔍💡

So, what’s in store? 🎯 The platform promises a smarter, more accessible way to buy TV. Advertisers will be able to plan and activate campaigns across Sky, Channel 4, and ITV in one place, with tools designed to support smaller advertisers through simplified buying and enhanced targeting. It will also offer better measurement and optimisation, thanks to shared broadcaster data 📊🔗.

Our Specialist Advice?

Start thinking now about how this could reshape your media strategy. Begin planning early as this platform could be a game-changer 🔑. Consider how cross-broadcaster planning could boost your reach and efficiency 📈. If you’ve been relying heavily on digital, this is your moment to explore premium video as a scalable, brand-safe alternative 🎥✅.

Ask us about early access opportunities - we’re already in conversations 🔍. And finally, take a fresh look at your media mix. This development could shift the balance between TV and digital in a big way 📊.

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That’s it for this edition of The Specialist View. We’ll be back soon with more sharp thinking, fresh perspectives, and the kind of media intelligence that helps entrepreneurial marketers turn ambition into action – and impact. Because specialist work is what we do – and as a proudly independent media agency, we’re equally proud of the passionate specialists behind it. Their curiosity, craft and commitment drive everything we deliver, from smarter strategies to standout results. It’s this depth of expertise and energy that sets us apart – helping our clients move faster, think bigger, and demand more from their media.