New Netflix rival coming from a familiar source – and it'll be completely free

UK broadcaster Channel 5 will soon undergo a relaunch that will both change the name and its strategy going forward.

Owner Paramount UK has confirmed that the station will be rebranded simply "5" and combined with the My5 streaming service. Indeed, it looks like the channel is being set up to take on the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+, rather than its traditional broadcast peers – such as the BBC, ITV and Channel 4.

"We have seen record growth for My5 viewing over the last three years and, as more of our audience discover streaming, we think it’s the right time to have a much closer relationship between our linear and streaming services," said the channel's president, Sarah Rose in August when the concept was first touted.

"The new exciting content and FAST channels that we’ll be offering on 5 from 2025 will build on the amazing array of homegrown Channel 5 hits we know our audience already love."

Thankfully, there are no current plans to make the new 5 service a paid platform. And it will continue to broadcast its linear channels on the UK's digital TV network too. However, the 5 app will be expanded to include a "significantly expanded content offer".

That will include drama, factual, films and true crime shows from MTV Entertainment Studios, CBS, and Comedy Central, plus sample shows from Paramount+.

We'll also get a new lineup of "specially curated" FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming Television) channels.

Channel 5 currently has a big presence on the free streaming service Pluto TV, which is also owned by Paramount. That includes branded live FAST channels, such as 5 Cops and 5 Trucking Hell. It would not come as a surprise to see them shift or appear on the new 5 app, too.

The relaunch will take place early next year, within the first quarter – so sometime between January to the end of March.