Channel 5 launches drama channel with Home and Away and Gilmore Girls
Paramount's UK channel 5 launches 5Drama on October 21, replacing 5Select, featuring Australian soap Home and Away alongside British and American dramas.
Channel 5 is launching a drama channel on October 21 called 5Drama. 5Drama replaces the 5Select channel and will show British originals, American imports, and Australian series.
Home and Away starts from episode one in the afternoons. British drama like All Creatures Great and Small fills peak evening slots.
Weekday afternoons feature American shows such as Gilmore Girls and Columbo. The channel also has rights to the first ten seasons of BBC school series Waterloo Road, which aired from 2006 to 2014.
Channel 5 is the only network to have grown its linear TV share over recent years and regularly beats rivals Channel 4 and BBC Two.
- October 21
- Launch date
- 2006 to 2014
- Waterloo Road seasons
- Reemah Sakaan
- Channel 5 CEO
Why it mattersLinear TV channels are seen as outdated in the streaming age, yet Channel 5 is betting that good drama in scheduled slots still draws viewers.
AustraliaAustralian viewers outside the UK won't directly access the channel, but the move signals continued global interest in Home and Away and British drama exports worldwide.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 1 h ago
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