Channel 5 (British TV channel)

For other uses, see Channel 5 (disambiguation).

5 is a free television channel in the United Kingdom. It started on 30 March 1997. It is owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting Ltd, and is operated by Paramount Networks UK and Australia. It is one of the main five channels in the United Kingdom.

5

Logo used tentative 2025
Country	United Kingdom
Broadcast area	United Kingdom Isle of Man Channel Islands Gibraltar
Headquarters	17–29 Hawley Crescent, London, England
Programming
Language(s)	English
Picture format	High-definition television 1080i/1080p[a] (downscaled to 576i for the SD feed)
Timeshift service	5 +1
Ownership
Owner	Paramount Networks UK & Australia
Parent	Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited[1]
Sister channels	5Action 5Select 5Star 5USA
History
Launched	30 March 1997; 28 years ago (1997-03-30)
Former names	Channel 5 (1997–2002, 2011–2025) Five (2002–2011)
Links
Website	channel5.com
Availability
Terrestrial
See separate section
Streaming media
5	See separate section

The station was called Five between 2002 and 2011, when it was owned by the RTL Group. It changed back to the name "Channel 5" after Richard Desmond bought the station.^[2][3][4] It was then bought by Viacom in 2014 for £450 million (US$759 million).^[5] It was rebranded to 5 in 12 March 2025.

Notes

1. 1080p25 sometimes only on Freeview.