Indie among first to use PSB’s new AI service offering brands more streamlined process for TV advertising
Spirit Studios has become the first advertiser to use Channel 4’s new Generative AI Solution for a TV ad campaign.
The company’s 30-second video ad, which was generated by C4’s service and will air on the PSB from today, promotes its social-first health and wellbeing podcast The Good, The Bad and the Healthy.
C4’s Generative AI Solution, due to fully launch later this year, is part of the PSB’s Fast Forward strategy and is intended to break down traditional barriers to TV advertising - such as high production costs and the need for in-house creative expertise - to make TV campaigns more accessible and streamlined for ‘new-to-TV’ brands.
The service is supported by C4’s sales teams, who will ensure that all creative is fully compliant with Clearcast guidelines and the broadcaster’s own ethical and creative standards. The solution is also intended to serve as a lead generation and sales enablement tool in the future.
Rak Patel, C4’s chief commercial officer, said: “Unlike most AI-generated ads in 2025, this ad has put the needs of the brand at the forefront, with a clear, cohesive creative vision from start to finish.”
He added: “AI hasn’t replaced the creative process, it’s supercharged it. The latest in AI technology, allied to the ‘secret sauce’ of C4’s creative teams is an unbeatable combination for small and medium businesses looking to advertise on Channel 4.”
The Spirit Studios ad campaign is part of C4’s test phase for the solution, and will be followed by another in August from Countryside Homes, part of the Vistry Group, with further brands expected later in the year.
Matt Campion, creative director at Spirit Studios, described the collaboration with C4 on the campaign as an “incredibly exciting” experience.
He continued: “The world of content is changing rapidly, and to be at the forefront of this kind of production – blending AI-generated visuals with our own creative direction to tell bold, engaging stories – might feel new now, but will soon become the norm. At Spirit, we’re always looking to innovate and move with where the market is heading, and this project is a perfect example of the kind of creatively ambitious challenge we thrive on.”
C4 is currently evaluating a two-track approach to its ad-generation service: Streamr.ai is a rapid prototyping tool that uses brands’ existing web and social assets to AI-driven TV-ready. The other approach is Telana, a hybrid model that combines the latest AI technology with creative oversight from C4’s in-house teams.
The launch of the ad is the latest move C4 has made to utilise AI in recent months - in April, the PSB’s in-house creative team 4Creative used ethical AI platform Adobe Firefly to create a trailer for Open House: The Great Sex Experiment and in May, former chief executive Alex Mahon unveiled the PSB’s corporate AI principles.
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