Paramount UK community Channel 5 and its streamer My5 are being streamlined to turn out to be, merely, 5.
In an identical transfer to the one made by rival Channel 4 last year, the All Creatures Nice and Small community will unify linear and streaming underneath a single model, with My5, which Channel 5 stated boosted viewing by 40% in H1 2024, handed an improve. Together with exhibits, the 5 streamer will embody a spread of FAST channels for the primary time together with new personalization. Paramount AVoD Pluto TV will not undergo with its deliberate merger with My5, remaining as a standalone providing within the UK.
The rebranded streamer will launch in Q1 of subsequent 12 months and have extra exhibits from the likes of Paramount stables MTV, CBS and Comedy Central, together with some samples from the Paramount+ streamer.
Ben Frow, Paramount UK’s Chief Content material Officer, who commissions for Channel 5 and Paramount+ UK, cited the success of Channel 5 exhibits on Netflix as proof “there’s an enormous urge for food for [Channel 5] content material within the streaming world.”
He stated the relaunched streamer will “be a a lot greater and broader provide than My5 with a considerably expanded vary of content material together with new collection and field units in actuality, drama, factual and children from throughout the Paramount household.”
The transfer might dim chatter that Channel 5 might doubtlessly be bought underneath the brand new Paramount regime as soon as the Skydance deal goes by way of. Frow is on his method to the Edinburgh TV Competition and can ship a keynote Thursday, throughout which he’ll little question dish extra on the rebrand and will face questions on a possible sale. The no-filter exec used final 12 months’s keynote to reveal he secretly resigned in 2022 because of burnout following the pandemic.
Frow has led a Channel 5 resurgence since taking on 10 years in the past, earlier than including Paramount+ UK duties to his roster. The community usually beats rivals BBC Two and Channel 4 within the scores, with exhibits such because the rebooted All Creatures with PBS Masterpiece and Our Yorkshire Farm, together with an upcoming drama starring David Suchet.
The transfer echoes Channel 4’s choice final 12 months to rebrand its All4 VoD participant to Channel 4. ITV additionally rebranded its Hub platform to ITVX alongside a refreshed technique and better funds. The UK business nets have been battling the advert recession and inflated prices.
Sarah Rose, President of Channel 5 and UK Regional Lead, Paramount, stated: “We’ve seen report progress for My5 viewing during the last three years and, as extra of our viewers uncover streaming, we expect it’s the suitable time to have a a lot nearer relationship between our linear and streaming providers. The brand new thrilling content material and FAST channels that we’ll offer on 5 from 2025 will construct on the superb array of homegrown Channel 5 hits we all know our viewers already love.”
