Channel 4 will become the exclusive ad sales partner for Paramount’s brands in the UK, including 5, owned by Paramount subsidiary Channel 5 Broadcasting.
The partnership, which will take effect next year, is the first time advertising for both Channel 4 and 5 will be handled under one roof. Sky previously ran Paramount’s ad sales business, which earns more than £300m annually.
Under the terms of the agreement, Channel 4 Sales will assume responsibility for airtime sales across 5’s portfolio of linear and digital channels, including 5, Milkshake!, 5USA, 5Star, 5Select and 5Action.
Channel 4 Sales will also represent advertising for Paramount networks in the UK, including MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon.
Paramount’s international advertising outfit will still exclusively handle ad sales for its direct-to-consumer brands in-house. These include Paramount+ and Pluto TV. It will also continue to manage its own social, sponsorship, and creative partnerships across its brand portfolio.
The deal comes just days after Channel 4 announced it would be cutting 28% of its total staff by the end of the year amid what CEO Priya Dogra described as wider long-term transformation strategy undertaken by the broadcaster to cut costs and become more distinctive.
It also comes amid wider consolidation of the UK TV ad market, as Sky seeks to close its own acquisition of ITV’s Media & Entertainment business. Importantly, the partnership between Channel 4 and Paramount adds significantly to the former’s sales footprint at a time when it faces the potential creation of a much larger competitor.
Dogra called the partnership with Paramount “exciting”, arguing that it “creates a tremendous proposition for advertisers, rooted in the power of public service broadcasting.”
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The collaboration, she said, will offer advertisers “seamless access to a unique portfolio of trusted, premium brands and even larger audiences. It will also generate new commercial opportunities for two distinctive commercial PSBs, helping support further investment in British programming.”
Rak Patel, Channel 4’s chief commercial officer, added the deal will help provide advertisers and agencies with the “scale, simplicity and effectiveness” they demand. The Media Leader will be interviewing Patel at its Future of Media Manchester event on Thursday.
Paramount is currently seeking to close its proposed $111bn acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the European Commission both approved the deal this summer, though it still faces legal hurdles in the US.
In July, 12 state attorneys general sued to block the merger, alleging it would reduce competition for theatrical film distribution and television licensing. It is unclear whether or how the partnership terms would change if Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery ultimately goes ahead.
In the meantime, 5 has grown its streaming audience. It currently claims to have 24m registered users and 96% household reach, and in 2025 it grew total viewing minutes faster than any other public-service streamer, according to Barb figures.
Paramount Advertising International president Lee Sears positioned the deal with Channel 4 as helping fulfill the broadcaster’s “number one priority” of “helping advertisers get closer to our vast and growing portfolio of premium content”, including 5’s “potent brand presence”.
He added: “I have no doubt Channel 4 Sales understands this unique opportunity to bring a unified PSB commercial offer to market. We can’t wait for them to get started.”
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