Channel 4 vs Sky

Week in Review: Prime Video, UK DTT Interoperability, Channel 4 Cuts

This week in review from VideoWeek covers Prime Video's expansion of its 'Shop the Show' feature to over 8,000 titles, DTG's report emphasizing interoperability challenges for the UK's internet-delivered TV transition, and Channel 4's announcement of a 28% workforce reduction as part of a transformation strategy. Other stories include Meta's ad controversy, US military disabling ad trackers, Magnite's first agentic campaign in EMEA, The Trade Desk's S&P 500 exit, NVIDIA's video tools, Innovid's Meta MCP integration, and Telly's programmatic home screen ads. Additionally, TF1's 2027 roadmap, DOJ's widened probe into Fox's Roku acquisition, Paramount's bond request, and various publisher and agency updates are highlighted, including Coca-Cola's media review and Madison & Wall's ad growth forecast.

• Prime Video expands 'Shop the Show' to over 8,000 titles, adding 'Shop the Scene'.
• Channel 4 plans to cut 28% of its workforce (~340 roles) by end of 2026.
• DTG report stresses interoperability as key for UK's IP-delivered TV transition, with DTT sunset proposed for 2034 or 2044.

Police probe Reform UK donations and polling after C4 news report

A new police investigation follows the undercover filming broadcast on Channel 4 News in which senior figures in Reform UK arranged to get a foreign donor to pay for opinion polls and discussed a potential half a million pound donation from a supposed foreign donor.

Consumer Protection Group Sues Netflix, Sky, Apple TV+ Over Price Hikes

The Austrian consumer protection association VSV (Verbraucherschutzverein) has announced class-action lawsuits against streaming services Netflix, Apple TV, and Sky's streaming service Wow over unilateral price increases. The VSV claims these companies raised prices for existing subscribers multiple times, relying on price adjustment clauses in their terms of service without obtaining separate consent from customers, which the association deems unfair and invalid. The VSV seeks reimbursements between 200 and 700 euros per affected customer and is partnering with a Berlin law firm and a litigation funder, who will receive a 9.9% cut of any proceeds. Sky confirmed the lawsuit is under review, while Netflix stated that the lawsuit has not yet been served and emphasized that it did not rely on such clauses in Germany, instead obtaining explicit consent from customers. This legal action follows similar past cases against DAZN and Prime Video.

• Consumer protection group VSV announced class-action lawsuits against Netflix, Apple TV, and Sky's Wow over price increases.
• VSV alleges price increases on existing subscriptions relied on unfair price adjustment clauses without separate customer consent.
• VSV seeks refunds of 200-700 euros per affected customer.

Formula 1 Scores Strong Ratings, NFL Struggles on RTL

On Sunday, RTL's Formula 1 broadcast outperformed its NFL coverage, drawing 1.49 million viewers and a 16.7% audience share among 14-49 year-olds for the Spanish Grand Prix. Sky's F1 coverage also performed well, with 17.3% share. In contrast, the NFL season opener between the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans attracted only 350,000 viewers for the first quarter, with a 5.7% share in the target demographic. Ratings improved slightly later in the game but remained below RTL's average. The NFL also aired a German-language conference on Nitro, drawing 190,000 viewers. Data sourced from AGF Videoforschung.

• RTL's Formula 1 broadcast of the Spanish Grand Prix reached 1.49 million viewers and a 16.7% market share among 14-49 year-olds.
• Sky Sport F1 achieved a 17.3% market share in the same demographic, slightly higher than RTL.
• NFL season opener on RTL attracted only 350,000 viewers for the first quarter, with a 5.7% share among 14-49 year-olds.

Vodafone and BVB AI‑recreate 1963 Bundesliga Goal

Published by HORIZONT on August 29, 2026, Vodafone, Borussia Dortmund (BVB), and creative agency Jung von Matt have launched an AI-driven campaign titled 'The Unseen Goal' to reconstruct the Bundesliga's first-ever goal, scored in 1963 by Timo Konietzka. Since no original video or photographic footage of the historic moment exists, the team generated the moving images using artificial intelligence, leveraging historical media reports, weather simulation models, and interviews with eyewitnesses, including the scorer's brother. The reconstructed video debuted via a documentary at the BVB museum, on Sky Sports News, and on the YouTube channels of BVB and Vodafone. It was also shown on stadium screens during Dortmund's season opener. The campaign will continue to run across digital platforms, social media, print, and soccer podcasts in Germany, with Sky serving as the exclusive media partner.

• Vodafone, Borussia Dortmund (BVB), and agency Jung von Matt launched 'The Unseen Goal' campaign to reconstruct the first-ever Bundesliga goal from 1963 using AI.
• The historic goal by Timo Konietzka had no existing photographic or video records prior to this project.
• The creative team utilized eyewitness accounts, weather simulation models, and archive records to accurately generate the moving images.