All through December we’re rolling out an exclusive series of Q&As with the sector’s leading thinkers as they peer into their digital crystal balls and offer their take on what the next 12 months could bring.
Today we hear from Diane Glynn, Director of Social at Channel 4.
What’s the single biggest shift you expect to see in digital-first production and publishing in 2026?
The biggest shift will be one of mindset across the whole content business – Digital Publishers will stop being seen as a sidekick to legacy media and will take centre stage. We’re already seeing the legacy companies starting to adapt or appropriate the tactics that have been staples of digital media for a good while now and that’s set to scale in 2026. It will include:
- The unification of data, content and creative systems – gauging audience responses in real time and changing content and publishing strategies accordingly.
- Ideation will have multiple content formats and distribution outlets at its heart, and there’ll be innovative ways to reversion and repackage older content.
- As part of this AI will become more important in shaping editorial priorities, predicting content performance and optimising distribution
- There’ll be bigger push into YouTube from Broadcasters and IP Owners. It’s not new (we launched our archive on there at scale in 2022) but YT was everywhere in 2025 and it definitely feels like there’s a shift in attitude amongst traditional TV types.
Which platform behaviour or algorithm change do you think will matter most next year, and why?
There could be enforced changes to algorithms, but even without legislation I think we’ll see a shift towards ‘tiered content’. Platforms are under pressure globally – from regulators, advertisers and audiences – to provide quality, fact-checked, fully complied and trustworthy content. I think we’ll start to see more rewards for content that indicates quality signals rather than simply rewarding engagement which has been the MO for the last few years.
Where will your company’s biggest increase in revenue come from in 2026 – CPMs, brand spend, partnerships, new revenue models or something else?
As ever, it’ll be a mixture. Revenue streams have been fragmenting and diversifying for some years now and that won’t reverse. As an industry we need to continue to explore viable commercial models to ensure quality of content is assured. AI will support that but I do think first party data products and contextual commerce will drive premiums
What creative formats or genres do you think will break out next year?
AI opens up a wealth of creative opportunities and I think it’ll bring more interactive content formats and much more personalised experiences. Part of this personalisation means that audiences can choose the genres in their feeds and tailor formats to different need states, devices and interests. They will start to programme their own algorithms in a more dynamic, less passive way and potentially engage in content in much more meaningful and/or artistically expressive ways. At Channel 4 we do of course have strict guidelines on the use of AI. We are all about empowering, not replacing, creators.
How do you expect the relationship between traditional broadcasters/ distributors and digital-native studios to evolve in 2026?
I think it’ll get much more collaborative and both parties can learn from each other. Broadcasters still pack a punch when it comes to mass reach and premium, compliant content at scale. And digital studios demonstrate agility and innovation as well as more embedded data-informed cultures when it comes to ideation and development. There’ll likely be partnerships and shifts in commercial models to reflect this, with different distribution tiers and windowing as part of that.
What’s one data point, trend, or move from 2025 that people are underestimating – and what does it signal?
Audiences are using traditional VSPs (video sharing platforms) as search engines. And AI is also increasingly deciding what gets surfaced. So user intent, and AI driven responses to questions mean that traditional browsing models and SEO is less dominant. This will definitely change approaches to content and how the content is distributed and surfaced.
If you could give one piece of advice to producers or creators preparing for 2026’s digital-first landscape, what would it be?
Think laterally for the distribution, and hyper-focused for the creative. Content needs to span multiple formats, packaging and platforms but the creative needs to feel niche and personal to the end user.
Anything else to add?!
The industry changes so rapidly my responses to these questions could be entirely different by the end of Q1! Stay agile, and be ready to move as platform products and audiences behaviours shift….
