Channel 4’s viewer database surpasses 10 million

Channel 4’s database of unique registered viewers has surpassed the 10 million mark – including one in two of all 16-24 year olds in the UK.

The broadcaster has said that the landmark has had huge implications for its viewer engagement strategy, enabling the introduction of new targeted advertising for video on-demand, helping to drive digital revenue growth.

While an increasing proportion of the corporation’s commercial revenue is currently directly or indirectly supported by first party data, Channel 4 now plans to use the data on viewer behaviour to assist creative teams in commissioning and marketing.

All of Channel 4’s viewer engagement activity is underpinned by a ‘Viewer Promise’, which states what will and will not be done with viewers’ personal data – also allowing users to control their permissions.

“The speed at which we have grown our database of registered users in the three years since launch has been overwhelming and to reach 10 million registrations is testament to just how engaged our viewers are and how much they trust the Channel 4 brand,” said chief executive, David Abraham.

“We’ve been able to use the scale of the database to have a new and more direct relationship with our viewers and to offer our advertisers new and innovative ways of better targeting the audiences they want to reach.”

Gill Whitehead, director of audience technology and insight – who will also be heading up the next phase of Channel 4’s data development – said: “Our big data investment, which is now in profit this year, has enabled Channel 4 to be the first UK broadcaster to take demographically targeted video on-demand ads to market.”

Whitehead added that Channel 4 is demonstrating that big data can support creativity – both by funding it through advertising premiums and by connecting programmes to the audiences that are most likely to appreciate them.