Channel 4 has widened its coverage of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games with newly announced plans to broadcast the event on its YouTube channel.
The free-to-air broadcaster will leverage its partnership with YouTube to provide 18 concurrent streams and over 1,300 hours of coverage from the Paralympic Games.
This will sit alongside Channel 4’s television coverage, with the company acting as one of the media partners of the games and a key UK broadcaster.
Pete Andrews, Channel 4’s Head of Sport, said: “We’re thrilled to have teamed up with YouTube so audiences will have more ways to watch the Paralympians when they take centre stage at Paris.
“We know how popular YouTube is with the younger audience and it’s this sort of partnership and innovation that will help promote the Paralympics to people of all ages all across the UK.”
Channel 4 has a long-standing association with the Paralympics. It first secured the rights to the 2012 games and subsequently covered the 2016 and 2020 events in Rio and Tokyo. The rights had been previously held by the BBC.
The company’s coverage of the Paralympics has earned it substantial praise. The ‘Meet the Superhumans’ and ‘We’re the Superhumans’ adverts for the 2012 and 2016 games received particular acclaim.
The Paralympics will take place between 28 August-8 September, with Channel 4 covering 22 different sports across its Channel 4 and More4 television channels as well as its streaming and social channels.
Organisers for Paris 2024 have sought to secure the widest ever exposure for the Paralympic Games, which will begin two weeks after the Summer Olympics end. Channel 4 is just one of the event’s broadcasting partners across over 160 countries.
Meanwhile, for Channel 4, the YouTube partnership plays a significant role in its ‘Fast Forward’ strategy focusing on social media usage. The firm aims to double social views via its content unit, 4Studio.
Neil Price, Head of Film and TV Content Partnerships, YouTube, said: “We’re thrilled to join forces with Channel 4, expanding the reach of one of the world’s most inspiring sporting events.
“Channel 4 has been a trailblazer for the Paralympics in the UK, and we are honoured to support their ongoing commitment by live streaming more than 1,300 hours of Paralympic action. We look forward to an incredible summer of sport for Team GB, and to bringing the action to fans everywhere through YouTube.”
