UKTV Expands FAST Channels to 12 with New Launch

🚀 Exciting partnership news!   UKTV has expanded its collaboration with Samsung Electronics UK, making our free linear channels available to internet‑only Samsung TV viewers in the UK for the first time. The deal also boosts visibility for the U app, securing a dedicated rail on Samsung’s home screen and deeper integration across the Universal Guide.   As audiences increasingly shift toward Connected TV, this partnership demonstrates how UKTV can help platforms enhance discovery, enrich user experience and bring high‑quality British content to millions of households. 📺✨   Read more about the deal here: https://lnkd.in/eeH_HMtn   #UKTV #Samsung #Partnership #ConnectedTV #Broadcasting #U

🌱👕♻️ 571 pre-loved items, 266 new homes found, and one shared goal: keeping clothes in circulation for longer.   Last week UKTV's annual Clothes Swap returned for its fifth year, encouraging colleagues to donate, swap and reuse good-quality adult and children's clothing rather than sending it to landfill.   Led by Lisa Wheeler and our Families Network and Sustainability teams, the initiative continues to be a simple but effective way to reduce waste, encourage more sustainable habits and bring colleagues together. This year saw a record swap rate, with 266 of the 571 donated items finding new homes through the event.   The impact doesn't stop there. The remaining 305 items will be donated to local Baby Banks and textile recycling charities, helping even more clothing stay in use and out of landfill. 💚🌍   A huge thank you to everyone who donated, swapped and volunteered to make another successful year possible. 🙌✨   #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #ReuseReduceRecycle #LifeAtUKTV #UKTV

UKTV has agreed a partnership deal with Samsung that makes UKTV’s linear channels available to internet-only Samsung TV viewers in the UK for the first time, and continues to ensure U content is easily accessible to Samsung TV customers. https://lnkd.in/eyE6YhNP

Tomorrow the television industry gathers at RTS London under the theme United in Change: If Not Now, When? Ahead of the conference, our CEO Jonathan Thompson has written for Broadcast on why the future of British broadcasting should be shaped not by nostalgia, but by innovation, adaptation and collaboration. The UK television industry has faced major periods of change before. Time and again, it has shown that while competition drives creativity, collaboration can help deliver the scale and resilience needed to navigate transition. Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/eHNRYK-f

Exciting news for Freely, the free streaming platform backed by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5. Freely has struck a partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery UK & Ireland and CNN International, further enhancing its already robust line-up. The free streaming platform allows viewers to switch seamlessly between live and on demand content from the UK’s leading broadcasters and other free-to-air content providers, including recently-launched new streaming channels from Channel 4: 4Reality, 4Homes, and 4Life. Everyone TV | Freely, Freeview, Freesat

Last week UKTV's Chief Marketing & AI Officer, Penny Brough, took part in a C-suite panel at the Customer Contact Week UK Summit on unifying the end-to-end customer journey 🎤 Hosted by Alan Ranger, alongside Kevin Cassar, Dr. Hady Khalaf and Ian Plummer, the discussion explored how AI, shifting customer expectations and evolving behaviours are reshaping growth and engagement – and why leadership alignment across organisations has never been more critical 🤝 Thanks to the organisers and panellists for a great conversation. #CustomerExperience #AI #DigitalTransformation #Leadership #CustomerStrategy #MarketingLeadership #CCWUK

ITV is to sell its media and entertainment division, including its broadcast channels and ITVX streaming service, to Sky for £1.6 billion ($2.1bn), marking one of the most consequential restructurings in modern British broadcasting. The deal positions...

In this week’s Week in Charts, ITV’s Chris Kennedy on premium targeting, drama underpins UK SVOD growth, and brands underinvest in TV. https://lnkd.in/erQ_zzwZ

One in three UK households pay for streaming services they rarely or never use, survey shows http://dlvr.it/TV3rtQ #StreamingServices #UKHouseholds #TVSubscriptions #FilmStreaming #ConsumerResearch

UKTV has named Sam Tewunga as its new CEO, effective 1 April 2026, promoting him from Managing Director to lead the company’s next phase of growth. Tewunga brings deep institutional knowledge, having played a central role in BBC Studios’ acquisition of UKTV and in shaping the broadcaster’s commercial and distribution strategy. In recent years, he has helped strengthen UKTV’s channel portfolio and expand the reach of its free streaming service, U, through key partnerships and carriage agreements. As UKTV navigates a rapidly evolving broadcast and streaming landscape, the appointment signals continuity with a clear focus on scale, distribution, and sustainable growth across linear and digital platforms.