The most accessible games yet
Channel 4 announced that all advertising on its network during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will carry subtitles. This enhances Channel 4’s commitment to making its coverage of the Games the most accessible yet.
The commitment builds on the previously announced goal to include subtitles on the broadcast of all live sporting action from the Olympic Games. Subtitled advertising will be supported across Channel 4 television, More 4, 4Seven, and Channel 4’s streaming platform.
Channel 4 has undertaken significant technology and operational work to prepare for these changes. The network will work closely with its industry partners, including brands, agencies, Peach, XR Extreme Reach, and Clearcast, to ensure advertising during the Paralympic Games is accessible.
“We would like all of our brilliant advertising partners to deliver their TV advertising with subtitles embedded to make this the most accessible Paralympic Games ever. Our partners at Peach, Extreme Reach, and Clearcast are on hand to help, and we will support brands to make their ads accessible. Improving the accessibility of TV advertising is going to be a journey for the industry, and we are committed to helping to drive the process.”
Verica Djurdjevic, Chief Revenue Officer at Channel 4
Accessible sponsorship idents
Channel 4 also unveiled its accessible sponsorship idents ahead of the Paralympic Games. Toyota and Allianz will sponsor the coverage on Channel 4, More4, and the broadcaster’s streaming services and social platforms. These sponsorships will introduce the UK’s most accessible sponsorship idents to date.
The sponsorship deals were facilitated by Toyota’s full-service agency, T&Pm (formerly The & Partnership and MSix & Partners), and Allianz’s media agency, Mindshare UK. Allianz’s idents will include audio description, while the LV= idents will incorporate British Sign Language and subtitling. Toyota’s idents will also feature British Sign Language and subtitling. These accessibility features will be integrated directly into the creative content, activated for all audiences.
The Allianz idents were created in-house, with the independent agency Recipe producing the LV= idents, and T&Pm handling the Toyota creative. The first idents from Allianz will air on 15 July during the 4Thought slot at 19:55, following Channel 4 News. They will also appear around the first of 12 three-minute films showcasing British Paralympians, which will be broadcast each evening leading up to the tournament starting on 28 August.
“Everything we’re doing in Channel 4 Sales ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games is about boosting positive attitudes to disability among our partners. The shared commitment across our partners Allianz and Toyota, brought to life through the new idents, is a new benchmark in the accessibility of TV sponsorship. The fact that the accessibility features of these idents are baked into the creative as standard, and not optional, is what makes this collaboration stand apart.”
Rupinder Downie, Content Solutions Leader at Channel 4
Changing attitudes towards disability
According to the RNID, 18 million people in the UK experience hearing loss and deafness. Channel 4 Sales reports that only 25% of advertising received by Channel 4 is enabled for subtitles.
Today’s commitment builds on Channel 4 Sales’ dedication to changing attitudes towards disability, including its Diversity In Advertising Award, which has enhanced disability representation in TV advertising through campaigns by Maltesers (2016), Lloyds Bank (2017), and Vanish (2022).
Source: egtaknowledgehub.com
OTHER CASE STUDIES
AD EMISSIONS MEASUREMENT: LESSONS FROM THE FINNISH MARKET
31. 3. 2026Finland’s commercial TV broadcasters spent the past year developing a carbon emissions measurement framework for linear TV advertising, starting with no local methodology and ending with a validated model owned by an industry body. For markets facing the same challenge, the experience offers a useful reference point. Start narrow, then scale The project focused exclusively… Continue reading CHANNEL 4 INTRODUCES SUBTITLED ADS AND ACCESSIBLE SPONSORSHIP FOR PARIS 2024 PARALYMPICS
A NEW WAY FOR FRANCETV PUBLICITÉ TO SELL CONTEXTUAL VIDEO ADVERTISING
27. 3. 2026FranceTV Publicité (FTP), the advertising sales house for French public television, has introduced Context.IA into its digital video offer. The solution uses programme context to decide when an ad should appear, instead of relying only on fixed scheduling. That makes Context.IA a new commercial tool inside FranceTV Publicité’s own video inventory. Context.IA links programme cues… Continue reading CHANNEL 4 INTRODUCES SUBTITLED ADS AND ACCESSIBLE SPONSORSHIP FOR PARIS 2024 PARALYMPICS
BUILDING A SHOPPABLE, ATTENTION-READY CTV OFFER: THE BIG BROTHER CONTEXTUAL CASE
26. 3. 2026In 2025, Paramount Australia, in partnership with FreeWheel and egta, hosted a webinar outlining a forward-looking view of the evolving advertising market. One key topic explored the industry’s shift to pull-based discovery, experience-driven engagement, and frictionless content-commerce integration. Paramount Australia’s Contextual Advertising Suite directly responds to these trends, reinforcing the company’s leadership in premium CTV… Continue reading CHANNEL 4 INTRODUCES SUBTITLED ADS AND ACCESSIBLE SPONSORSHIP FOR PARIS 2024 PARALYMPICS
GLOBO CREATES HOME SCREEN PROMINENCE FOR FREE-TO-AIR TV ON SMART TVS
26. 2. 2026Globo, Brazil’s largest commercial TV group, is rolling out DTV+, a next-generation free-to-air TV standard designed for connected TVs. It brings broadcast channels into the TV operating system, with app-like navigation, login and interactive layers placed directly on top of live programming. The move fits Brazil’s viewing reality. Linear TV accounts for 57.9% of total… Continue reading CHANNEL 4 INTRODUCES SUBTITLED ADS AND ACCESSIBLE SPONSORSHIP FOR PARIS 2024 PARALYMPICS
THE VISUAL TRANSFER EFFECT: HOW SOUND BUILDS BRANDS
24. 2. 2026In collaboration with neuro-marketing agency Unravel, Talpa Media has produced the scientific proof that audio does not just complement TV. It actively reactivates it, reconstructing visual brand memories in the consumer’s mind through sound. The findings carry significant implications for how audio is planned, sold, and valued within the wider media mix. Context Talpa Media… Continue reading CHANNEL 4 INTRODUCES SUBTITLED ADS AND ACCESSIBLE SPONSORSHIP FOR PARIS 2024 PARALYMPICS
RMB TURNS QR CODE VOTING INTO A SHARED VIEWING MOMENT THAT STRENGTHS BRAND IMAGE FOR SPRITE AND DELI CHOC
24. 2. 2026Campaign objectives The chocolate snack Deli Choc and soft drink Sprite brands worked with RMB to reach younger audiences by becoming part of Belgian hip-hop show “PLAYGROUND”, supporting new rap talent through a live QR vote and cross-platform content. This helps the brands appear as enablers of the format rather than separate ads. For RMB… Continue reading CHANNEL 4 INTRODUCES SUBTITLED ADS AND ACCESSIBLE SPONSORSHIP FOR PARIS 2024 PARALYMPICS
CANADIAN SUPERSTAR ANDREW PHUNG HELPS VIA RAIL CHALLENGE CAR CONVENIENCE ASSUMPTIONS WITH LONG-FORM STORYTELLING ACROSS CBC’S TV ECOSYSTEM
24. 2. 2026Campaign objectives VIA Rail, the company operating Canada’s national passenger rail service, combined a new product launch with brand building, using long-form content to tackle misconceptions that tend to block conversion in travel: comfort, ease, and whether rail feels like a realistic alternative to driving for intercity trips. The objectives behind this campaign were to… Continue reading CHANNEL 4 INTRODUCES SUBTITLED ADS AND ACCESSIBLE SPONSORSHIP FOR PARIS 2024 PARALYMPICS
HOW L’ORÉAL PARIS AND RTL MADE STREET HARASSMENT HARD TO IGNORE
24. 2. 2026Context Sexual harassment in public spaces is one of the most common forms of gender-based violence in the world. Two figures frame the issue: 80% of women have experienced street harassment, but 85% of people say they lack training on how to intervene. Ad Alliance and L’Oréal created a campaign to respond to this problem… Continue reading CHANNEL 4 INTRODUCES SUBTITLED ADS AND ACCESSIBLE SPONSORSHIP FOR PARIS 2024 PARALYMPICS
HOW AD ALLIANCE USED VIRTUAL SET GRAPHICS TO RESKIN THE LET’S DANCE STAGE FOR UNIVERSAL PICTURES
24. 2. 2026Context This campaign promotes a film by changing the look of a well-known TV studio during the ad break, so the show setting becomes part of the idea. Universal Pictures International Germany supported the live-action version (made with real actors) of How to Train Your Dragon, based on a well-known animated franchise. The ad special… Continue reading CHANNEL 4 INTRODUCES SUBTITLED ADS AND ACCESSIBLE SPONSORSHIP FOR PARIS 2024 PARALYMPICS
CHANNEL 4 SHOWS HOW PUTTING ACCESSIBILITY FIRST BENEFITS BOTH CUSTOMERS AND COMMERCIAL WITH CURRYS’
24. 2. 2026Context Channel 4’s Diversity in Advertising Award 2025 set its brief under the theme “Inclusive by Design”. It asked brands to embed inclusive practices into the creative, rather than at the end of production. The initiative linked that ambition to airtime: £1m of advertising space across Channel 4’s portfolio sat behind the winning campaign. The… Continue reading CHANNEL 4 INTRODUCES SUBTITLED ADS AND ACCESSIBLE SPONSORSHIP FOR PARIS 2024 PARALYMPICS
HOW BMW USED A COUNTDOWN TO HOLD ATTENTION FOR TWO MINUTES
24. 2. 2026The iX3 launch in Belgium used prime time to make a first impression quickly. The plan did not rely on many repeated 30-second ads. Instead, it opened with a two-minute film that ran without interruption. In this campaign, this timeframe was used as a clear countdown linked to the car’s driving range. The number on… Continue reading CHANNEL 4 INTRODUCES SUBTITLED ADS AND ACCESSIBLE SPONSORSHIP FOR PARIS 2024 PARALYMPICS
TURNING PEAK TV SHOW ATTENTION INTO TRUSTED CONTEXTUAL SPOTS AND FAN FOLLOW UP CONTENT
24. 2. 2026Context A plot cue inside a flagship soap can set the terms of the next ad break, because viewers stay anchored in the same scene and characters. Emmerdale’s familiarity, plus its own show social channels, gave the message a recognisable voice on TV and somewhere to continue after broadcast. In this case, the ITV campaign… Continue reading CHANNEL 4 INTRODUCES SUBTITLED ADS AND ACCESSIBLE SPONSORSHIP FOR PARIS 2024 PARALYMPICS