S4C teams with Little Dot to 'supercharge' YouTube channel

S4C and digital content studio, Little Dot Studios, have announced a new partnership to bolster S4C’s YouTube offering “and put Welsh content on the world stage.”

S4C has received £7.5m of additional funding from the UK Government’s Department of Culture, Media, and Sport to develop the provision on digital platforms.

S4C YouTube content includes its popular brands and talent, such as the sofa stars of Gogglebocs Cymru (Gogglebox Wales), fire chef and award-winning presenter Chris ‘Flamebaster’ Roberts’ global adventures, bilingual prison drama Bariau and a YouTube-first series starring Wales footballer Oli Cooper and his partner Tanwen Cray.

S4C will collaborate with Little Dot Studios to “establish innovative ways of engaging wider audiences”, building on the success of its main YouTube channel “which has seen a surge in engagement in recent years.”

Viewers will be able to discover a variety of content on the platform, including a bespoke bilingual series with YouTube stars Jon and Emilie James, whose videos documenting their mortgage-free project ‘Camp Out West’ have garnered millions of views, and exclusive interviews with high-profile figures from the likes of Donald Trump to Wrexham A.F.C. co-owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

James Loveridge, Managing Director of Entertainment at Little Dot Studios said: “Our collaboration with S4C is focused on championing the broadcaster’s profound legacy in showcasing Welsh language and culture across global social platforms. Leveraging their extensive library of long-form, television-quality content, we anticipate a significant boost in engagement with diverse audiences, fostering increased watch-time and ultimately enhancing revenue for S4C.”

Geraint Evans, S4C’s Joint Interim CEO and Chief Content Officer, says: “S4C is delighted to be partnering with Little Dot to introduce Welsh content to a new audience. Our YouTube channel has seen considerable growth over the last 5 years and now we look to supercharge it to bring in a global young audience.”