Paramount UK network Channel 5 and its streamer My5 are being streamlined to become, simply, 5. In a similar move to the one made by rival Channel 4 last year, the All Creatures Great and Small network will unify linear and streaming under a single brand, with My5, which Channel 5 said boosted viewing by 40% in H1 2024, handed an upgrade. Along with shows, the 5 streamer will include a range of FAST channels for the first time along with new personalization.
Paramount AVoD Pluto TV will no longer go through with its planned merger with My5, remaining as a standalone offering in the UK. The rebranded streamer will launch in Q1 of next year and feature more shows from the likes of Paramount stables MTV, CBS and Comedy Central, along with some samples from the Paramount+ streamer. Ben Frow, Paramount UK’s Chief Content Officer, who commissions for Channel 5 and Paramount+ UK, cited the success of Channel 5 shows on Netflix as proof “there’s a huge appetite for [Channel 5] content in the streaming world.
” He said the relaunched streamer will “be a much bigger and broader offer than My5 with a significantly expanded range of content including new series and box sets in reality, drama, factual and kids from across the Paramount family.” The move may dim chatter that Channel 5 could potentially be sold under the new Paramount regime once the Skydance deal goes through. Frow is on his way to the Edinburgh TV Festival and will deliver a keynote Thursday, during which he wi.