Big news for Channel 5 and My5 viewers – we finally have a launch date for the broadcaster’s major rebrand.
This March, both the linear Channel 5 and its streaming service My5 will unite under a single name: ‘5’.
The timing seems particularly apt, as the broadcaster has just revealed record-breaking streaming figures for 2024, and the rebrand promises to bring with it some new content to the channel’s streaming service.
However, as with the recent trend of short, unified brands (a la Channel 4 and U), the new name may lead to some confusion,
My5’s Record-Breaking Final Year
According to Paramount (which owns Channel 5), My5 has just had its most successful year ever.
The streaming service grew by a massive 53% in viewing minutes during 2024 – outperforming all other UK public broadcasters (BBC iPlayer grew by 24%, ITVX by 22%, and Channel 4 by 15%).
This growth was driven by several hit shows. The documentary My Wife, My Abuser became the platform’s most-watched single title, while dramas like All Creatures Great and Small, Blindspot, and The Teacher pulled in substantial audiences.
The service also saw strong performance from true crime content like Cause of Death and acquired series including Revenge and Home and Away.
The Christmas period proved particularly successful, with My5 recording its highest-ever viewing figures for Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
While All Creatures Great and Small dominated the festive days themselves, the new drama The Serial Killer’s Wife became the most-watched show across the entire festive fortnight.
The March 2025 Transformation
When we first reported on Channel 5’s rebranding back in August 2024, many details were still under wraps. Now we know more about what’s coming this March.
Channel 5’s Chief Content Officer, Ben Frow, explains the timing: “2024 was a huge year for My5 as our viewers really discovered the depth of content, particularly our Channel 5 dramas, that we have on the service.
“We know that audiences increasingly want to switch seamlessly between streaming and linear TV and that’s why in March we are relaunching both our services under the combined brand of 5 with a significantly greater range of programming on offer.”
The new streaming service won’t just be a rebranded My5, however.
Instead, it’s getting a comprehensive overhaul including a completely new user interface, enhanced data-driven advertising capabilities, a significantly expanded content library, and new FAST channels (linear-style ad-supported streaming channels).
Content Expansion: What Can Viewers Expect?
The biggest change coming in March is a massive expansion of available content.
The new ‘5’ streaming service will feature shows from across the Paramount family, including content from MTV Entertainment Studios, CBS, and Comedy Central.
We also expect to see selected shows from Paramount+, giving viewers the chance to sample some of their premium content.
A dedicated section for kids and families will showcase programming from Milkshake! and Nickelodeon, while additional box sets from various content partners will help beef up the library further.
What Happened to the Pluto TV Merger?
If you’re wondering what happened to the previously announced merger between My5 and Pluto TV – that’s been quietly shelved.
Back in November 2023, Channel 5’s parent company announced plans to merge My5 with Pluto TV, their free ad-supported streaming service.
Instead of that merger, Channel 5 is now incorporating some Pluto TV-style features into its new platform, particularly the FAST channels that will provide linear-style streaming options.
The One-Letter Revolution in British TV
Channel 5’s rebranding to ‘5’ isn’t happening in isolation – it’s part of a wider trend that’s been sweeping through British broadcasting.
In the past couple of years, we’ve seen All4 becoming simply ‘Channel 4’, UKTV Play transforming into just ‘U’, and NOW TV dropping the ‘TV’ to become ‘NOW’.
This trend towards minimalist naming has left many viewers scratching their heads.
After all, how do you tell someone to watch something “on Channel 4” when both the TV channel and streaming service share the same name? Now we’re adding ‘5’ to this increasingly confusing mix.
The success of Channel 5’s changes will largely depend on whether the expanded content library and technical improvements can justify yet another rebranding exercise in the UK’s increasingly crowded streaming market.
However, Channel 5 is certainly approaching this change from a position of strength, with record streaming numbers and growing audience engagement.
For more news about TV and streaming in the UK, Subscribe to our free newsletter.
Nothing like a rebrand. What My5, Channel 5 or is it 5 need to do is stream content across their apps in FHD and not the dire quality they currently churn out on most platforms including Apple TV.
Increasing content sounds good to me. The channel was branded ‘five’ for a few years in the 2000’s.
Looking forward to seeing the changes
I think the brand My 5 is ideal for the platform!! Why do they need to change it?
Another totally pointless rebranding! All just emporers new clothes!