Channel 4 is coming to Disney+. On Tuesday 27 October 2026, the broadcaster and The Walt Disney Company announced a deal that will bring Channel 4’s live channel, hundreds of hours of its programmes on demand and several new shows on the day they air to Disney+ in the UK and Ireland from early 2027. Disney+ subscribers will get it at no extra cost.
The broadcaster billed the Channel 4 Disney+ deal as a landmark one. It will put a UK public service broadcaster’s main channel inside a global streaming service, alongside a dedicated area for its programmes.
What the Channel 4 Disney+ deal includes
According to Channel 4’s announcement, Disney+ customers in the UK and Ireland will get:
- Channel 4’s linear HD channel, streamed live inside Disney+.
- Hundreds of hours of Channel 4’s scripted and unscripted programmes on demand, including Big Mood, Tip Toe and 24 Hours in A&E.
- A Channel 4-branded section that works with the same navigation as the rest of Disney+.
- Several new Channel 4 shows each year made available “day and date”, meaning they appear on Disney+ on demand at the same time as they are broadcast on Channel 4.
All of this will be included in existing Disney+ subscriptions.
The first shows arriving on the day they air
Channel 4 named three programmes as the first day-and-date titles:
- Maya, a darkly comic thriller about a mother and daughter living under witness protection. Bella Ramsey leads the cast, and Daisy Haggard writes, directs and also stars.
- Stepping Up, a comedy led by Denise Welch about an over-eager stepdad in a newly blended family.
- Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, the reality format in which famous faces attempt tests set by former special forces soldiers.
What Channel 4 and Disney said
Priya Dogra, Channel 4’s chief executive, said the service would help the broadcaster’s programmes reach viewers in new places. She described the deal as a sign that broadcasters and streamers working together can give audiences more choice and better value.
Adam Smith, chairman of direct-to-consumer at Disney Entertainment, presented the agreement as part of Disney’s worldwide approach of pairing local programming with Disney+. “Local broadcaster partnerships are very important as we build our content libraries,” he said.
Channel 4 described the agreement as one of the most significant Disney+ has signed anywhere to bring local content to its customers, and said it builds on a long-standing relationship between the two companies. In 2023, for example, Channel 4 licensed ten Disney series, including Abbott Elementary and The X-Files, for its own streaming service.
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When it launches and what is still unknown
The service is due to launch on Disney+ in the UK and Ireland in early 2027. Channel 4 said further details on launch timing and content would be confirmed later. The announcement did not include:
- any financial terms
- an exact launch date
- details of how advertising will work on the Channel 4 service inside Disney+
Why it matters for viewers
For Disney+ subscribers in the UK and Ireland, the deal adds a full UK channel and a large British catalogue at no extra cost on top of their subscription. For Channel 4, the aim, as Dogra put it, is to reach viewers in new places. Other UK broadcasters have also been investing in streaming, as Westferry Times reported when ITVX upgraded its streaming delivery.
There is also a practical point for UK households. Under TV Licensing rules, watching any channel live, through any app or service, requires a TV licence. On-demand viewing outside BBC iPlayer does not. Subscribers who choose to watch the Channel 4 live feed inside Disney+ once it launches would therefore need a licence, while catching up on Channel 4 programmes on demand would not.
Further details on the launch date and the full programme line-up are expected before the service goes live in 2027.
Sources: Channel 4, Channel 4 and The Walt Disney Company strike landmark deal to bring Channel 4 to Disney+ (27 October 2026); RTÉ News / PA, Channel 4 strikes deal to bring its shows to Disney+ (27 October 2026); ITV News, Channel 4 strikes deal to bring its shows to Disney+ (27 October 2026); Televisual, Channel 4 and Disney+ strike content deal (27 October 2026); Digital TV Europe, Channel 4 secures content deal with Disney (July 2023); Selectra, Do you need a TV licence? (updated October 2026).
