BBC Studios launches Affinity Network, a new premium advertising architecture

BBC Studios Digital Brands today launched Affinity Network, a new advertising architecture spanning five verticals: Family, Our World, Entertainment, Auto, and Food & Travel, anchored by brands including Bluey, BBC Earth and Top Gear, with further verticals to follow.

Affinity Family launches first, bringing together some of the world's most loved children's brands, family content and creators into a single commercial offering, creating a trusted advertising destination built around trust, quality and meaningful engagement.

The launch is underpinned by a raft of sales partnerships, expanding Digital Brands' family portfolio with global agreements to represent Zog for Magic Light Pictures, My Friend Maisy for Trustbridge Entertainment (excluding China) and BBC Studio's Crookhaven, covering channel and content management as well as direct advertising sales.

For advertisers, these verticals unlock the commercial power of fandoms, bringing together trusted brands and highly engaged communities in premium digital environments designed to drive quality attention and meaningful brand connection. Instead of negotiating inventory title by title, advertisers gain access to curated audience ecosystems across YouTube, TikTok and other digital platforms. 

SVP Digital Jasmine Dawson said: "In an increasingly fragmented media landscape, Affinity is designed to offer something different: a network built on affinity, not just reach. Affinity Family, our first vertical, brings that to life through brands like Bluey and Bing, names parents trust and children return to again and again, and that trust is what makes this audience valuable to advertisers. As the network expands across entertainment, auto, food and travel, and factual audiences, we're giving advertisers a consistent way to engage communities in safe, high-quality environments they already choose to be part of."

The launch is further strengthened by Digital Brands' appointment as the trusted seller for the BBC's YouTube portfolio outside the UK, starting with the BBC Archive and the BBC Masterbrand channels - alongside the wider BBC Studios portfolio of YouTube channels and expanding the scale of its digital advertising offering.

Affinity Family launches from a portfolio that already leads its category on scale and engagement. In its most recent financial year, BBC Studios Digital Brands retained its position as the number one YouTube watch time platform in its global competitor set for the second consecutive year, generating 7 billion ad impressions and 15.1 billion YouTube views, up 21%. The portfolio spans around 150 channels across 17 languages, reaching 350 million people a month, including two of YouTube's top 1% channels globally.

Together, these additions reinforce BBC Studios’ position as a premium destination for advertisers seeking deeper engagement with audiences through content they know, love and return to time and again.

ENDS

About Digital Brands

BBC Studios Digital Brands builds and grows audiences across a portfolio of owned, licensed and creator-led digital content. With more than 150 channels spanning iconic global IP, including Bluey, Doctor Who, Top Gear and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, we reach more than 350 million people globally each month across 17+ languages. Combining world-class franchise content with creator-led storytelling, we help brands connect with passionate fan communities through premium advertising, branded content and bespoke partnerships. Digital Brands sits within a wider business that grows IP beyond the screen in ways that deepen fandom, extend cultural relevance and create long-term commercial value.

About BBC Studios
BBC Studios is the main commercial arm of BBC Commercial Ltd and generated revenues of £2.1 billion in the last year and profits of over £200 million for a fourth consecutive year. Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, the business is built on two operating areas: the content studio, which produces, invests and distributes TV and audio globally and media & streaming, with BBC branded channels, services including UKTV, BBC.com and BritBox International and joint ventures in the UK and internationally. The business made almost 3,300 hours of award-winning British programmes last year for a wide range of UK and global broadcasters and platforms. Its content is internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, and includes world-famous brands like Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, the Planet series, Bluey and Doctor Who.