BRITS will be able to access 15 extra channels for free on their TVs from today.
It comes as a major UK broadcaster unveils a refreshed look on its linear channel as well as on its streaming service.
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From today, Channel 5 and My5 are both known by the same name, 5.
Although the logo looks the same as before, there are some bigger changes for the streaming side, after a successful year for My5 in 2024.
Viewing minutes were up by 53 percent compared to 2023 according to Barb data, the highest increase of any public service broadcaster.
This was helped by shock documentaries like My Wife, My Abuser, which was My5’s number one most watched single title.
But on the brand new 5 app users will now find an extra 15 channels to enjoy, on top of 5 and its sister channels 5Star, 5USA, 5Action and 5Select.
These new channels are based on some of 5’s biggest and most successful franchises and shows.
And they also show some premium shows from 5 owner Paramount’s other brands, including MTV.
See the full list below.
- Police Interceptors
- 5 Cops
- GPs Behind Closed Doors
- 5 History
- Trucking Hell
- 5 Crime
- 5 A&E
- Bargain Loving Brits
- Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly
- The Yorkshire Vet
- Geordie Shore
- Catfish
- Teen Mom
- MTV Reality
- Milkshake!
More channels are expected to launch in the future too.
Elsewhere, there is a special kids space under the Milkshake! brand which will have some Nickelodeon content on there in the near future too.
“This is the start of a new and exciting era for 5 as we bring together our linear and streaming services under one clear brand,” said Sarah Rose, President of 5 and UK Regional Lead at Paramount.
“Everything our audience and our advertisers already love about Channel 5 will be central to this relaunch – but there will be much more besides, with a huge array of content from the Paramount family and beyond, new live channels and a brand-new user experience for our streaming product.”
Over the next few months the new 5 app will roll out across all platforms and devices where My5 is currently available.
Speaking at a special 5 Showcase event on Wednesday evening, 5’s Chief Content Officer, Ben Frow launched a broad new slate of originated, UK produced content for 2025.
“We have always been led by our audience and bringing Channel 5 and My5 together as 5 reflects our ambition that they can watch or stream whichever way suits them best,” said Ben Frow, Chief Content Officer at 5.
“There is huge breadth of new content on streaming for viewers to discover, but the heart of 5 will always be our commitment to originated, UK produced public service content – including our award winning factual and more hours of original drama than we have ever commissioned.”
Top Channel 5 dramas
Channel 5 has become a hub for gripping drama, these are some of the best My5 has to offer.
- All Creatures Great and Small – Based on the best-selling novels by real-life vet Alf Wright, the show revolves around a trio of vets working in the Yorkshire Dales in the late 1930s. Eccentric Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West) hires James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) for his veterinary practice at Skeldale House alongside himself and his younger brother Tristan (Callum Woodhouse). There James settles into his new life and even finds love with local farmer’s daughter Helen (Rachel Shenton).
- The Ex-Wife – New parents Tasha (Céline Buckens) and Jack (Tom Misson) seem to have the perfect life, but the constant presence of Jack’s overly friendly but suspicious ex-wife Jen (Janet Montgomery) puts pressure on the couple. But as the series progresses it becomes less clear who the bad guy really is and how far everyone will go to get the life they think they deserve.
- Heat – EastEnders alum Danny Dyer leads this four-part action thriller, set in Australia, which sees two families holidaying together during bushfire season. But instead of rest and relaxation, secrets and lies start to unravel — and not everyone will make it out alive…
- Lie With Me – Another soap legend jets off to Australia, this time its EastEnders alum Charlie Brooks who takes as a married woman trying to saving her marriage by moving halfway around the world after her husband had an affair. However it’s far from plain sailing, as a young and attractive live-in nanny comes to work with the Fallmont family, and tensions soon build and eventually, someone ends up dead.
- The Drowning – Jill Halfpenny plays Jodie, a woman whose life is shattered following the disappearance of her beloved four-year-old son, Daniel. However, ten years later, the grieving mother thinks she’s finally found her missing child, and embarks on a journey to discover the truth about him. But has she really just found the son she has been missing for so long?
