Channel 4 and TikTok have teamed up ahead of today’s opening of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games to create a hub dedicated to the event.
The Paralympics hub will feature bespoke content created by Channel 4’s 4Studio especially for TikTok. Content will include behind the scenes access with the athletes, event and medals highlights with a split screen ‘reaction’ format, and a Q&A series with athletes.
“We want to make the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics the most accessible Games ever and this innovative partnership with TikTok will bring more creative and bespoke content to the widest audience possible, wherever they are,” said Alex Mahon, Channel 4 CEO.
“We’ve seen huge engagement with our C4 and E4 accounts on TikTok with over 23 million views since launch in March this year. We hope the hub will not only attract new audiences to the Games but also further improve visibility and understanding of disability, and inspire the next generation of Paralympians.”
All of the content will be available to UK TikTok users without leaving the app, and each video will use TikTok’s ‘text-to-speech’ feature to help those with visual and reading impairments to also enjoy the content.
TikTok users have already viewed content with the #Paralympics hashtag 443 million times, while the #disabilityawareness hashtag has amassed almost half a billion views.
“Throughout this momentous summer of sport, TikTok has been the home of sporting fandom. From the EUROs to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, athletes and fans alike have come together on TikTok to celebrate everything we love about these iconic moments,” said Rich Waterworth, General Manager for TikTok UK and Europe. “We’re delighted to be working even more closely with Channel 4 to support them to make the Paralympics even more discoverable and accessible to the widest possible audience. With Paralympics content already doing well on our platform, we’re confident the Hub will be a huge success and give fans new and creative ways to enjoy the thrill of the tournament.”