5 (previously Five Download and later Demand 5 and My5) is the brand name of

video-on-demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typical static broadcasting ...

services offered by

Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited is a British media company and wholly-owned subsidiary of American media conglomerate Paramount Global, as part of its UK and Australia division. Its original and principal activity is the British national televis ...

, operator of TV channel 5, in the United Kingdom. The service is ad-supported and provided

over-the-top Over the top may refer to: Music * "Over the Top", a 2017 song by Hey! Say! JUMP * ''Over the Top'' (Cozy Powell album), 1979 album by British drummer Cozy Powell * ''Over the Top'' (Infinite album), 2011 album by South Korean band Infinite * ...

to various different consumer devices. It is owned by

Paramount Global Paramount Global (Trade name, d/b/a Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate controlled by National Amusements and Headquarters, headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Times Square, ...

and operated by their

Paramount Networks UK & Australia Paramount Networks UK & Australia, formerly ViacomCBS Networks UK & Australia, is a division of Paramount Global launched on 14 January 2020. It is based in London, England, with a local office in Sydney, Australia. Units See also * Plut ...

division.

History

The service went live on 26 June 2008. As Five Download, the service offered downloads in

Windows Media Video Windows Media Video (WMV) is a series of video codecs and their corresponding video coding formats developed by Microsoft. It is part of the Windows Media framework. WMV consists of three distinct codecs: the original video compression technolog ...

format of the US imports '' CSI'', ''

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

'' and ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...

''. Individual episodes could be 'rented', with some episodes available seven days before they appeared on TV. More varied content from Channel 5's programming has become available since June 2008, with a wider prevalence of free content offered for 30 days after broadcast. In January 2009, Demand 5 began to offer content in the Flash Video format, allowing users with Apple Macintosh computers to access their content. On November 1, 2023, Paramount announced that it would merge My5 with

Pluto TV Pluto TV is an American free ad-supported streaming television service owned and operated by the Paramount Streaming division of Paramount Global. Founded by Tom Ryan (business executive), Tom Ryan, Ilya Pozin and Nick Grouf in 2013 and based in ...

in the UK, with its full launch date set to be planned for the second half of 2024. These plans would be shelved with the announcement on 20 August 2024 that the service would instead be revamped and, along with Channel 5, would be rebranded as simply 5 on 12 March 2025.

Web platforms

5 website

5 is the main source of on-demand programmes from

Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2005), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Pa ...

services like 5,

5Star 5Star (stylized as 5STAR) is a British free-to-air television channel owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global, which is grouped under Paramount Networks UK & Australia division. It originally laun ...

and

. It offers a seven-day catch-up service as well as an archive of past shows.

YouTube

5 is also partly available on YouTube, launching in the United Kingdom on 4 December 2009. My5's catch-up content reaches YouTube shortly after TV transmission and users are able to browse 250 hours of the broadcaster's archive content.

Television platforms

BT Vision

Demand 5 launched on

BT Vision EE TV (formerly BT Vision and then BT TV until 2023) is a subscription IPTV service offered by EE; a brand of British telecommunications company BT Group. It requires the signing up to and use of the EE Broadband internet and phone service, w ...

on 7 October 2008. Demand 5 was removed from

on 6 October 2010, although the two companies continued discussions in a bid to reinstate the service, having previously stalled during contract renegotiations. The service returned to BT Vision in May 2011.

Freesat

Demand 5 is available as part of

Freesat Freesat is a British free-to-air satellite television service, first formed as a joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc and now owned by Everyone TV (itself owned by all of the four UK Public broadcasting, public service broadcasters, BBC, ...

's second generation Free Time guide, having been added on 6 August 2013, offering the last seven days of programming integrated to the TV guide.

Roku

On 26 July 2013,

Now TV Now (formerly Now TV and often stylised as NOW) is a subscription over-the-top streaming television service launched in the United Kingdom in 2012. It is operated by Sky Group in Europe, and Xfinity in the US; both owned by the American media ...

released a Now TV-branded Roku streaming box, including a Demand 5 app. Three days after the release of the Now TV Box,

Roku Roku ( ) is a brand of consumer electronics that includes streaming players, smart TVs (and their operating systems), as well as a free TV streaming service. The brand is owned by Roku, Inc., an American company. As of 2024, Roku is the U ...

added Demand 5 to its own range of streaming devices. The Roku service continued to operate in the Demand 5 format until December 2018, when it was upgraded to My5.

Sky

On 26 July 2012, it was announced that Demand 5 would be added to

On Demand On-demand or on demand may refer to: Manufacturing * Build-on-demand * Just-in-time manufacturing, a methodology for production * Print on demand, printing technology and business process in which new copies of a document are not printed until ...

later in the year. The service was made available on 26 September 2012.

Televisions and Blu-ray players

In September 2009, an agreement was reached to make Demand 5 is available through

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

Blu-ray Disc Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of ...

players, Blu-ray

home cinema A home cinema, also called home theater, is a home entertainment audio-visual system that seeks to reproduce a movie theater experience and mood using consumer grade electronic video and audio equipment and is set up in a private home. In ...

systems and

Smart TV A smart TV, also known as a connected TV (CTV or, rarely, CoTV), is a traditional television set with integrated Internet and interactive Web 2.0 features that allow users to stream music and videos, browse the internet, and view photos. Smart T ...

s, via the

BRAVIA Bravia (stylized as BRAVIA) is a brand of Sony Visual Products Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony, and is used for its television products. Its name is a backronym for "Best Resolution Audio Visual Integrated Architecture". All Sony high-defin ...

Internet Video service. On 13 May 2011, it was announced that Demand 5 would also be available on

Samsung Samsung Group (; stylised as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational manufacturing Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in the Samsung Town office complex in Seoul. The group consists of numerous a ...

s through their

Samsung Smart TV Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (SEC; stylized as SΛMSUNG; ) is a South Korean multinational major appliance and consumer electronics corporation founded on 13 January 1969 and headquartered in Yeongtong District, Suwon, South Korea. It is curr ...

service. On 16 January 2013 a Demand 5 app was launched and is available to download on Samsung Apps. As of 2020, the 5 app is also available on

Android TV Android TV is an operating system that runs on smart TVs and related entertainment devices including soundbars, set-top boxes, and digital media players. Developed by Google, it is a closed-source Android distribution. Android TV features a u ...

Amazon Fire TV Amazon Fire TV (formerly stylized as amazon fireTV) is a line of digital media players and microconsoles developed by Amazon since November 2014. The devices are small network appliances that deliver digital audio and video content streamed v ...

Apple TV Apple TV is a digital media player and a microconsole developed and marketed by Apple. It is a small piece of networking hardware that sends received media data such as video and audio to a TV or external display. Its media services include ...

and

Chromecast Chromecast is a discontinued line of digital media players developed by Google. The devices, designed as small dongles, can play Internet-streaming media, streamed audio-visual content on a high-definition television or home audio system. The u ...

devices.

Virgin Media

5 is available on

Virgin Media Virgin Media Limited is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, television and internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, England. It is owned by Virgin Media O2, a 50:50 ...

's cable television service, offering programmes for 7 days after broadcast since November 2010. In late 2019, it was confirmed that as part of a wider deal with ViacomCBS, the My5 app, along with the UK version of

and subscription service MTV Play would be made available on Virgin Media.

YouView

5 was one of four services available at the launch of

YouView YouView TV Ltd is a British media company, a partnership of four broadcasters: the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5; and two telecommunications operators, BT Group and TalkTalk Group (formerly also Arqiva). It launched in 2012 the hybrid television ...

in July 2012. At launch the My5 app contained options to resume watching recent programmes, access favourites, browse featured programmes or a full list of shows, find similar programmes or more episodes and an integrated search bar.

Game consoles

PlayStation

An application for Sony

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...

owners was made available on 9 April 2013,

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...

in November 2013, and

PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...

in November 2020. From December 2018, the Demand 5 app was retired from all platforms and replaced by My5.

Xbox

On 5 October 2011, it was announced that My5 (Demand 5 at the time) would be made available on

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...

and was later made available on

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...

As with the PS3 app, the Demand 5 Xbox app was retired in December 2018.

Mobile platforms

iOS devices

A Big Brother Demand 5 app for the

iPad The iPad is a brand of tablet computers developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple that run the company's mobile operating systems iOS and later iPadOS. The IPad (1st generation), first-generation iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010. ...

iPod Touch The iPod Touch (stylized as iPod touch) is a discontinued line of iOS-based mobile devices designed and formerly marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-controlled user interface. As with other iPod models, the iPod Touch can be used as a po ...

and

iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...

launched on 19 August 2011, the app offered a 30-day catch-up service for Big Brother content. The app has been extended to incorporate catch-up content from Channel 5, 5* and 5USA, creating an overall Demand 5 app. The app is compatible with iOS 10.0 or later. Reviews of the app have been very poor due to, among other issues, that Demand 5 can only be used on Wifi networks, rather than 3G or 4G

Android

On 16 May 2013, Demand5 was launched on a range of Samsung Galaxy Android devices including smartphone and tablets.

Windows Phone

On 25 November 2013, Demand5 was launched for mobile phone handsets running the

Windows Phone Windows Phone (WP) is a discontinued mobile operating system developed by Microsoft Mobile for smartphones as the replacement successor to Windows Mobile and Zune. Windows Phone featured a new user interface derived from the Metro design languag ...

8 platform.

Programming

In addition to programming taken from Paramount Global services like

BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

and Pluto TV Drama, 5 used to act as the on-demand service for a number of other UK channels and programme content owners, like A+E Networks' Blaze, until Sept 30th 2021, when those agreements were voided and it became a service for content exclusive to PNUK&A networks.

shows and specials are still available on My5 along with a number of classic MTV reality shows (such as ''

Ex on the Beach ''Ex on the Beach'' is a British reality television series that is broadcast on MTV UK. The series was first announced in February 2014, and premiered on 22 April 2014. The series is narrated by Andrew Maxwell. ''Ex on the Beach'' follows the ...

'' and ''

Geordie Shore ''Geordie Shore'' is an English reality television series that has been broadcast on MTV UK from 24 May 2011. Based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, it was the British offshoot of the American show ''Jersey Shore''. The programme follows the d ...

'') as My5 Exclusives, with the British

BET International BET International (Black Entertainment Television) is an international television channel centred towards black culture. It is available in Africa, along with the Middle East/North Africa region. It was launched on 28 February 2008 in the UK and ...

channel being streamed in the UK via

Current live TV channels

* 5 *

5USA 5USA is a British free-to-air television channel owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global, which is grouped under Paramount Networks UK & Australia division. It was launched on 16 October 2006 as ...

5Action 5Action is a British free-to-air television channel owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global, which is grouped under Paramount Networks UK & Australia division. 5Action features a range of programmi ...

5Select 5Select is a British free-to-air television channel which features documentaries, arts, dramas, comedies and Channel 5 original content. It is owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global, which is gr ...

Additional 5 only programming

In addition to the channels listed above, the service includes programmes from these channels/brands: *

(until 2022, programmes listed in the BET section) *

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

(certain programmes only until 2022, listed as My5 Exclusives)

5 Exclusives

Programmes include: *'' The Arrangement'' *'' Hapless'' *'' The Royals'' *''

Seven Types of Ambiguity ''Seven Types of Ambiguity'' is a work of literary criticism by William Empson which was first published in 1930. It was one of the most influential critical works of the 20th century and was a key foundation work in the formation of the New Cri ...

'' *'' World Without End''

Former channels

Content from a number of other channels was available until 30 September 2021: * Blaze *

CBS Reality CBS Reality is a European pay television channel specializing in reality-based programming, including true crime documentaries and factual entertainment. It is operated by AMC Networks International in partnership with Paramount Networks EME ...

(channel co-owned with

AMC Networks International AMC Networks International is the division of AMC Networks that operates outside the United States. AMC Networks commissions and distributes TV channels, content and video services. The division's operating companies and business units current ...

) * discover.film *

Horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...

(channel co-owned with

) * Masters of Food *

PBS America PBS America is a British free-to-air television channel derived from PBS, an American public television broadcaster similar to the BBC and Channel 4. It is a joint venture between entrepreneur David Lyons and PBS Distribution, itself a joint ...

* Pluto TV Drama * Pluto TV Food * Pluto TV Movies *

Smithsonian Channel The Smithsonian Channel is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its media networks division under MTV Entertainment Group. It offers video content inspired by the Smithsonian Institution's museums, research facil ...

(owned by

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

in association with the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

) * Real Stories * Reel Truth Crime * Timeline *

Together TV Together TV (formerly The Community Channel) is a British free-to-air television channel owned by The Community Channel, a community benefit society. The channel targets a women's audience aged 40 to 60, with programming related to health an ...

References

External links

5
{{VOD services 2008 establishments in the United Kingdom Channel 5 (British TV channel) Internet properties established in 2008 Video on demand services TvOS software Streaming television in the United Kingdom