Fiktiv UK - Channel 5 Broadcasting

Channel 5 Broadcasting is a wholly owned subsidiary of RTL Group (itself a subsidiary of Bertelsmann), which owns several television channels and radio stations in United Kingdom. The media company was created in 1992 and was originally jointly owned by CLT-UFA, Pearson Television, United News and Media and Warburg Pincus. In 2005, RTL Group took over total control of Channel 5 Broadcasting after UBM sold its 35% stake.

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Channel 5 is a British free-to-air television network launched in 1997. It is the fifth national terrestrial channel in the United Kingdom and is owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of RTL Group. The channel also operates three sister channels: 5Star, 5USA and 5Select.

The station was branded as Five between 16 September 2002 and 13 February 2011. On 11 August 2010, RTL Group announced that it will return to the name Channel 5 with immediate effect, and it was relaunched on 14 February 2011.

Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited was licensed by the UK's then independent statutory regulator the Independent Television Commission (ITC) in 1995 after a bidding process that started in 1993 and lasted throughout 1994. The initial round of bidders, which included a network of city-TV stations planned by Thames Television and the Italian politician and media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi (who founded Mediaset, which owns Canale 5 and formerly owned La Cinq, which ceased operations in 1992; he retired his offer a few months later), was rejected outright and the ITC contemplated not awarding the licence at all.

The difficulty with the project lay in use of television broadcast frequencies that had been allocated to RF outputs from domestic videocassette recorders. To achieve national coverage, large numbers of domestic video recorders (which output at a nearby frequency) had to be retuned or fitted with a filter, at the bidding company's expense.

The project was revived in mid-1994 when the ITC re-advertised the franchise. Tom McGrath, then-president of Time Warner International Broadcasting, put together a revised frequency plan with NTL and consulting engineer Ellis Griffiths, involving less retuning and greater signal coverage. Lord Hollick, then chief executive of Meridian Broadcasting (later United News & Media, and UBM) took up the project as lead investor as UK law prohibited Time Warner from owning more than 25%. Pearson Television, who by now owned original licence bidders Thames Television, also came on board. When McGrath left to become President of Paramount, Time Warner dropped out of the project and was replaced by CLT (known in the UK for Radio Luxembourg). Other bidders for the licence included UKTV (led by Canwest and Select TV, who bid £36m for the licence), New Century Television (owned by BSkyB and Granada, who bid £2m), Virgin TV (backed by Virgin Communications) and Associated Newspapers (who bid £22m, the same as Channel 5 Broadcasting who won the licence).

Wolf Olins and Saatchi & Saatchi were the main companies behind the pre-launch advertising campaign: "Give Me 5". The channel would be both modern and mainstream. A logo (a numeric "5" within a circle) and visual motif (a "candy stripe" bar of colours, reminiscent of TV test cards) were used, and an attempt was made to establish a collection of Channel 5 faces; through the spring of 1997, billboards of Jack Docherty were displayed, along with other unknown characters.

A series of pre-launch screens were displayed on the frequencies Channel 5 would begin broadcasting on in the months before launch as well, including a trailer for the channel and information screens. After re-tuning, around 65% of the population's televisions could view the channel on launch night.

The channel's launch on Easter Sunday (30 March) 1997 at 6 pm featured the Spice Girls singing a re-written version of Manfred Mann's hit "5-4-3-2-1" as "1-2-3-4-5". Presenters Tim Vine and Julia Bradbury introduced the nation to the UK's fifth (sixth including S4C) terrestrial channel with half-an-hour of previews.

On 16 September 2002, Channel 5 re-branded to Five, in a multimillion-pound project directed by Trevor Beattie. The campaign was set out to achieve three key objectives: to clarify the channel's creative strategy; to refresh the channel's on-screen identity; and to address the gap between the common perceptions of Five and the new reality of its programming – stimulating viewers' reappraisal of Five's programmes and brand.

On 27 February 2004, it was reported that Five and Channel 4 were discussing a possible merger. Channel 4 and Five announced in November of that year that merger plans were being called off. Early in 2009, rumours started re-surfacing about Five, Channel 4 and ITV conducting a three-way merger.

Pearson Television and CLT later merged, becoming RTL Group who became part of Bertelsmann and, control the channel, after buying UBM's 35.4% stake for £247.6 million on 20 July 2005. The acquisition was approved on 26 August 2005. After Holleck became involved, he and McGrath brought on board Greg Dyke (later Director-General of the BBC) as interim CEO during the application and launch phase of the project.

On 18 November 2005, it was announced that Five had bought a stake in DTT's pay-TV operator, Top Up TV. It was said that the investment may lead to the development of new free and pay services on DTT, and other platforms.

On 11 August 2010, RTL Group confirmed the restoration of the original name used from 1997 to 2002. The restoration was revealed onscreen on 14 February 2011.

The relaunch also saw investment in a range of new programming with the debut of the (now-cancelled) nightly entertainment show OK! TV. Audience figures for the relaunch were boosted with increased viewing figures for the main 5 News bulletins and improved figures for OK! TV in the 6.30 p.m. slot over its predecessor Live from Studio Five. On 18 August 2011, Channel 5 relaunched Big Brother, starting with Celebrity Big Brother 8 and followed by Big Brother 12, having bought the rights to air the programme following its cancellation by Channel 4 in April 2011. The deal was worth a reported £200 million. The show helped the channel's viewing figures and audience share to rise slightly year-on-year, from 4.4% to 4.5%, in 2012. It was only achieved by Channel 5 and BBC One later in 2012; all other terrestrial broadcasters fell in comparison.

In 2013, Ben Frow, the channel's Director of Programming, revealed that the station would be moving away from broadcasting just American imports, by introducing shows from other countries such as Canada, Ireland and Australia to the schedules. The station has since begun screening Australian prison drama Wentworth Prison and Irish gangland series Love/Hate.

On 1 August 2015, Channel 5's five advertising regions: London, South/Central England and Wales, Northern England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland were closed with RTL Group considering them financially unviable. The closure of the advertising regions allowed Channel 5 HD for Sky HD viewers to swap with the standard-definition version of Channel 5 on the EPG.

By 2016, the channel planned to increase its original programming output, increasing its budget by 10%. On 11 February 2016, Channel 5 also unveiled an overhauled brand, meant to reflect a new remit of "Spirited TV with an Emotional Heart".

Channel 5 is the UK's fastest growing commercial terrestrial station. The key to Channel 5's success is its investment in programming. Channel 5 has developed a repuation for being a broad appeal channel with particular strengths in programming areas such as childrens, factual entertainment, news, arts and features. It also offers the best in US programming with series such as the CSI, NCIS and Law & Order franchises.

5 News, also known as Channel 5 News, is the news programme of British broadcaster Channel 5 produced by Sky News from the Sky Campus in Isleworth. 5 News was one of the new station's flagship programmes when it launched on 30 March 1997.

On 1 January 2005, Sky News was awarded the contract to provide the news for Channel 5, replacing ITN, which had provided the channel's news service from the channel's launch in 1997.

When we first hit the screen on 30 March 1997 5 News was a revelation and a revolution for TV News. The presenter was a woman not a middle aged man, she perched on a desk rather than sitting behind it and our set was multicoloured not dark blue the traditional colour of news. In our first year on air 5 News won three Royal Television Society awards for innovation and journalism and it we pioneered new methods of reporting the news which are now standard practice on British TV.

Today 5 News consists of three main weekday programmes at 12pm, 5:30pm and at 7:30pm, we also run a very popular update service with hourly bulletins between one and three minutes on the hour throughout the day between 6am and midnight. At weekends we run a scaled back service with our main programme at 7:30pm which brings you all the day's stories and the latest sports results. Sunday's 5 News at 7:30pm brings together all the weekend's major events and sets you up for the week ahead.

Channel 5 has a dedicated team of presenters plus 14 specialist and general reporters. We also have access to the huge resources of Sky News with around 30 reporters and camera teams at home and abroad. By linking the dedicated Channel 5 Service with Sky's 24 hour operation we aim to bring you a service that is second to none.

At Channel 5 we want to develop a type of news service which is relevant for you. We believe accuracy and clarity are the absolute top priorities. We don't want to put out news which makes you feel stupid or news which leaves you bewildered or frightened.

We think the world is becoming a more and more confusing and uncertain place: - Are house prices falling or rising? Are pensions really worthless? Are we winning the war on terror? How safe are our streets? These are the kind of questions we want our news to tackle head on.

5 News has always been a pioneer and with our partners Sky we aim to be even more inventive and interesting, bringing you the day's news in a style which informs, entertains and explains. If you're not a regular viewer already why not give it a go?

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5Star is a British free-to-air television channel owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting, a subsidiary of RTL Group. It was launched on 15 October 2006.

The channel was intended to be a female-orientated channel with an emphasis on lifestyle programming. Channel 5 announced that programming on launch would include The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Love My Way, Windfall, Angela's Eyes, and a weekday double-bill of the chat show Trisha Goddard. On 16 October 2006, a day following the channel's launch, Australian soap opera Home and Away began airing from episode 4212 (Season 19, Episode 112). New episodes are shown Monday to Friday in a 'First Look' screening with episodes following the Channel 5 airing. Repeats of popular female-skewing dramas, both nationally and internationally produced, were soon acquired. Following the channel's launch, a time-shift version of the channel was launched in summer 2007.

Five Life relaunched as Fiver in 2008 while still targeting female audiences, the channel was re-positioned with a "younger, faster, louder" concept, meant to compete with Sky Living. On-air presentation reflected this shift with a "cursor" motif, typing out words reflecting programs and current events.

In 2011, the channel was re-launched again, as 5* (pronounced "Five Star"). The new brand focused on a "fun-loving" concept. When some of these new programs failed to make much of an impact in the channel's ratings, several were dropped and replaced by new locally produced and acquired programming.

On 11 February 2016, as part of an overall re-branding of Channel 5's networks, the channel was re-branded as 5Star.

5Star is the home of some of the most talked about factual entertainment shows from the UK. Reaching a staggering quarter of the UK viewing public each month, the channel features an extension of Channel 5's hugely popular pre-school strand Milkshake, as well as a mix of original content including Nightmare Neighbour Next Door, Filthy House SOS and Rich Kids Go Skint.

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5USA is a British free-to-air television channel. It is owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting, a subsidiary of RTL Group and is a sister channel of Channel 5. It was launched on 16 October 2006 as Five US and was the second digital terrestrial television channel in the UK to be launched by RTL Group as part of their multi-channel strategy, the first being Five Life (now 5Star). 5USA concentrates on showing imported movies and programmes from the United States. The channel's original broadcast hours were from 4:00pm to 01:00am, however it extended its hours starting at 12:00pm in June 2007. On 1 November 2015, the channel extended its hours again and began broadcasting from 7:00am until 3:00am. The channel changes its programme slots and shows from time to time.

British comedian Russell Kane was the 'face of the channel', presenting short clips between some programmes which acted as space fillers to comply with advertising regulations in the UK (UK regulation allows fewer minutes of advertising than in the US) until 16 February 2009. The music used during the idents until February 2009 were "The Dress Looks Nice on You", “Chicago”, "Jacksonville" and “The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts”, all performed by Sufjan Stevens.

On 28 August 2007, Five US launched a timeshift channel named Five US +1 available only on Sky. On 22 January 2009, it was announced that Five US would be rebranded to Five USA on 16 February (amended to 5USA in March 2011 as part of a corporate rebranding).

Five US brings UK viewers the very best of American television in genres such as: established and new drama; comedy; films; sport and youth programming.

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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, a subsidiary of RTL Group. The channel was lanuched on 13 February 2018.

Channel 5 were set to launch a new channel called 5Prime. It was going to be a catch-up channel, launching in January 2018, but it was never officially launched. A month later, 5Prime was rebranded as 5Select and it launched at 9:00am on 13 February 2018, with the first programme, Access, being shown.

5Select is a premium channel offering high-quality factual series, intelligent documentaries and must-watch dramas. It features first-run originals alongside the finest content from Five and spin-offs from its most popular programmes.

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Atlantic 252 is a national digital radio station in the United Kingdom that launched on 1 July 2008. It is the second incarnation of the station: the original station launched on 1 September 1989 and was closed at midnight on 2 January 2002. The station is owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting, a subsidiary of RTL Group.

Atlantic 252 is available via the Sound Digital DAB ensemble, Sky, Freesat and via online streaming to computers, mobile device applications and internet radios.

The station predominantly plays contemporary and classic pop and rock music including the best songs from the top 40 music charts. Atlantic 252 is designed to appeal to 15 to 49 year olds, with a focus on an 18 year old mindset. Atlantic 252 is truly interactive, thriving on the web and other digital platforms as well as the airwaves, and giving its audience an active role in shaping the sound of the station.

The broadcasts are presented live from 04:00 to 01:00, and then music is played back-to-back overnight with pre-recorded announcements from rotating presenters from the day.

Atlantic 252 broadcasts hourly national news bulletins 24 hours a day supplied by Sky News. They are broadcast at 5 minutes to the hour. Headlines air at 25 minutes past the hour during The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on weekdays, alongside regular traffic bulletins at breakfast and drive.

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Radio Luxembourg is a digital radio station in the UK, broadcasting on DAB and online and is a sister station to Atlantic 252. The station plays classic and contemporary rock music. The station is owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting, a subsidiary of RTL Group.

Radio Luxembourg in English from 1933 to 1939 and from 1946 to 1992 was an important forerunner of modern commercial radio in the United Kingdom. It was an effective way to advertise products by circumventing British broadcasting restrictions that were in place at the time. The English-language station broadcasting from the Grand Duchy closed down at the end of 1992. Radio Luxembourg in English was relanuched at 07:00 BST on 12 September 2005. As of 21 December 2018 the station is broadcast on Sound Digital DAB multiplex.

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Talk Radio is a national talk radio station in the United Kingdom, which was lanuched in February 1995 using the AM wavelengths previously occupied by BBC Radio 1 (1053/1089 kHz). It is owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting, a subsidiary of RTL Group.

Talk Radio is the first commercial speech radio station to launch in the UK and brings a fresh choice in speech radio to UK, 24 hours a day. Topical, entertaining speech radio with news, views, opinions and discussion like you have never heard before.

Our on-air team includes some well known personalities and some new names to commercial broadcasting. However, they all have one thing in common - a passion for talk and conversation.

Talk Radio is committed to live news around the clock. We bring you news as soon as it breaks - from wherever it happens. With resources of Sky News, our team of reporters bring the stories that matter - on air and online. We broadcast 3-minute news bulletins 24 hours a day on the hour and on the half-hour including headlines at quarter past and quarter to during peak hours (Monday - Friday 6am-10am, 12pm-2pm and 4pm-7pm, Saturday and Sunday 6am-10am). Additionally there are extended 15-minute bulletins at 1pm and 6pm on weekdays. Every half-hour, you'll get the inside track on all the latest sports news from your team. And there are regular business updates throughout the day every weekday.

Traffic and travel information is broadcast between every 20 minutes during peak hours (Monday - Friday 6am-10am, 12pm-2pm and 4pm-7pm, Saturday and Sunday 6am-10am) and every hour at other times. Around the clock we offer comprehensive travel information, covering road, rail, plane, bus and ferry. We encourage listeners to contact our “Jam Line” to inform the stations listeners of major trouble spots.

Talk Radio provides more comprehensive weather forecasts by offering its unique “45-past forecast” (a 90-second comprehensive, personality-led, extended weather report) during peak hours, in addition to its regular bulletins throughout the day and night. While not only providing comprehensive weather information to our listeners Talk Radio brings personality to our weather reports, making us the destination station for weather news.

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Talksport, owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting, a subsidiary of RTL Group, is a sports radio station and the Global Audio Partner of the Premier League. Broadcasting from London to the United Kingdom, Talksport is the only national radio station broadcasting sporting discussions and commentaries 24 hours a day.

In the United Kingdom, Talksport is available on FM, DAB, Sky, Virgin Media, Freeview, on mobile, and online at talksport.com. Talksport has been available on Freesat since April 2016.

Talksport's content includes live coverage of sporting events, interviews with the leading names in sport and entertainment, phone-ins and discussion. Talksport, alongside sister station Talksport 2, is an official broadcaster for several sporting contests, including the Premier League.

Talksport provides a continuous service of national and international sport news, with news bulletins every hour around the clock and headlines every 20 minutes during weekday breakfast and evening drive periods.

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Talksport 2, owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting, a subsidiary of RTL Group, is a sports radio station in United Kingdom. The station launched on 1 July 2008 as part of a Sound Digital's successful bid for second national commercial DAB multiplex.

Talksport 2 is a 24-hour sports station which focuses on a broad range of live sporting action from the UK and around the world and includes rugby, cricket, tennis, golf, football and horse racing, plus US sport. It also broadcasts specialist programming dedicated to the Football League, La Liga, European football, horse racing rugby league, rugby union, boxing, cricket, tennis, NBA, US sport, and golf.