Jonathan Lewis, the head of digital and partnership innovation at Channel 4, made the announcement at the broadcaster’s upfront at Old Billingsgate in London yesterday.
He said the move is the first time a broadcaster in Europe has developed a programmatic platform for agencies to buy VoD ads against its "unique" audience segmentation.
Lewis said: "Our data strategy has enabled Channel 4 to lead the global digital TV ad market.
"Channel 4’s unique first party data already offers advertisers superior targeting against our engaged, young, upmarket audience on our growing VoD platform, and the radical addition of automation and programmatic buying is a another game-changer for the commercial TV VoD industry in 2015."
As part of the event for 700 marketers and media agency executives Channel 4 presented research that showed ads on VoD are more valuable than those on YouTube.
Cog Research and the neuroscientist Dr Amanda Ellison from Durham University found advertising on VoD platforms outperforms YouTube "for viewer acceptance, engagement and attention".
The study found 4oD grabbed 80 per cent of viewers’ attention compared with 20 per cent for YouTube.
Lewis said: "Dr Amanda’s research revealed that YouTube’s cluttered environment increases the work the brain has to do by 50 per cent, reducing the viewer’s ability to focus on the content.
"So we can finally prove that 4oD is more arousing, more stimulating and generally better for you than YouTube. It’s a scientific fact."
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