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5Action

Logo used since 2022
Country	United Kingdom
Broadcast area	United Kingdom
Programming
Language(s)	English
Picture format	1080i HDTV (downscaled to 576i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
Owner	Paramount Networks UK & Australia
Parent	Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited
Sister channels	Channel 5 5Select 5Star 5USA
History
Launched	4 July 2018; 6 years ago (2018-07-04) (as Paramount Network) 19 January 2022; 2 years ago (2022-01-19) (as 5Action)
Replaced	5Spike
Former names	Paramount Network (2018–2022)
Links
Website	channel5.com
Availability
Terrestrial
Freeview	Channel 33
Freesat	Channel 132

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 programming from the Channel 5 stable as well as other content from the UK and US, focusing on action, crime and wrestling, aiming towards a male audience.

History

5Action's programming and Freeview channel slot dates back to the days of Viacom's male-skewing channel Spike, which was launched on 15 April 2015 as a localised version of the American network of the same name. When Spike was launched it took the channel space of Viva, but was operated under the auspices of Channel 5's programming director Ben Frow. It primarily aired entertainment programmes, including action and drama series, police documentaries, and programming from its U.S. counterpart, as well as mixed martial arts.

On 31 October 2017, the channel became 5Spike after Viacom decided the channel should be more closely associated with its sister channels and the Channel 5 brand. On 7 January 2020, the brand was discontinued in line with Viacom's global company policy, with the channel taking on the name of its sister channel, Paramount Network, and with major change to its channel placement or programming.

On 19 January 2022, the channel was once again re-aligned to a Channel 5-specific brand, as 5Action to avert confusion with Paramount+. On 26 January 2022, 5Action shifted to Freeview 33 to accommodate the new iteration of BBC Three on 1 February 2022.

Programming

Current programming

• Treadstone
• Shooter
• Quantum Leap (season 1 , first shown on Paramount+)
• Beacon 23 (season 1 from 14th January , first shown on Paramount+)
• Airport 24/7: Thailand
• Car Crash TV
• Caught on Camera (episodes might be billed as Criminals: Caught on Camera or Seconds from Death: Caught on Camera)
• Cruise TV by LoveitBookit
• Entertainment News on 5
• Fights, Camera, Action
• Idiot TV
• Police Interceptors (some episodes known as Ultimate Police Interceptors)
• Police Raids: Caught by Surprise
• Traffic Cops
• The Transporter
• Trucking Hell
• WWE Raw Highlights
• WWE SmackDown Highlights

Former programming

• Access
• Aftermath
• Agent Carter
• American Horror Story
• Arrow
• Channel Zero
• CSI: Miami
• CSI: NY
• Designated Survivor
• Empire
• Gilmore Girls
• Grimm
• Heroes Reborn
• Home and Away
• House
• Impractical Jokers US
• LA to Vegas
• Lip Sync Battle US
• Life in Pieces
• Neighbours
• Six
• Sleepy Hollow
• Suits
• Taken
• Training Day
• Teen Wolf
• The Mick
• The Office US
• The Strain
• Vikings
• When Calls the Heart
• Will & Grace
• Wynonna Earp
• The X-Files
• Yellowstone (season 1 and 2 only , moved to Paramount+)

Paramount Network

Viacom (ViacomCBS/Channel 5) operated two distinct versions of the free-to-air Paramount Network on Freeview (with the original pay-tv Paramount Channel becoming Comedy Central in 2009). The first version of the Freeview channel was launched on 4 July 2018 as a sister channel to 5Spike, and with a high-definition feed exclusively on Virgin Media from 21 July 2018. It ceased to be available via satellite in Ireland on 13 July 2018 having supposedly been made available by mistake, even though the channel had been promoted to Irish viewers before launch (however, the channel could still be accessed via manual tuning on Sky in Ireland).

On 7 January 2020, Paramount Network was merged with 5Spike in its slots on Freeview, Sky and Virgin Media, got its new branding, and subsumed its +1 timeshift channel on Sky. The timeshift channel ceased broadcasting on 14 July 2020.

Paramount Network rebranded as 5Action on 19 January 2022 in preparation for Paramount+ launching in the UK.

Programming

The original British version of Paramount Network was as a general entertainment channel showing American movies and series such as Suits and Lip Sync Battle. In 2020, Channel 5 merged this channel with that of 5Spike, with Paramount Network becoming more of a male-skewing channel, following the lead of the original American Spike TV, which targeted a young adult male audience, becoming Paramount Network in the United States. This second version of Paramount Network had a schedule very much in keeping with that of 5Spike, with action movies at night, westerns at lunch and programmes such as Police Interceptors and Traffic Cops running episodes back-to-back early evening. When the channel got its second rebrand in early 2022, again no major changes were made to the schedule yet on Freeview channel 32 apart from the Jason Bourne spin-off Treadstone debuting on the channel.

Former programming (Paramount Network)

Original version

• Access
• Aftermath
• Agent Carter
• American Horror Story
• Arrow
• Channel Zero
• CSI: Miami
• CSI: NY
• Designated Survivor
• Empire
• Gilmore Girls
• Grimm
• Heroes Reborn
• Home and Away
• House
• Impractical Jokers US
• LA to Vegas
• Lip Sync Battle US
• Life in Pieces
• Neighbours
• Six
• Sleepy Hollow
• Suits
• Taken
• Training Day
• Teen Wolf
• The Mick
• The Office US
• The Strain
• Vikings
• When Calls the Heart
• Will & Grace
• Wynonna Earp
• The X-Files

Second version (formally 5Spike)

Programmes broadcast on the male-skewing version included:

• Access
• Airwolf (now broadcast on ViacomCBS/AMC's Legend channel)
• The A-Team
• Can't Pay? We'll Take It Away
• Caught on Camera (episodes might be billed as Criminals: Caught on Camera or Seconds from Death: Caught on Camera)
• Gangland
• Fights, Camera, Action
• The Gadget Show
• Knight Rider
• Michael McIntyre's Big Show (this format was produced by Sky Vision, and was originally broadcast on BBC One)
• NXT UK Highlights
• Police Interceptors (some episodes known as Ultimate Police Interceptors)
• Police Raids: Caught by Surprise
• Raw Recruits: Squaddies at 16
• Sewermen
• Street Hawk
• Tsunami (with Dr Xand van Tulleken and Raksha Dave)
• Traffic Cops
• Trucking Hell
• WWE Raw Highlights
• WWE SmackDown Highlights
• The X-Files
• Yellowstone

References

1. "Ofcom | TV Cable and Satellite". static.ofcom.org.uk.
2. "'Paramount Network' Channel is Changing to 5Action". 22 December 2021.
3. "5Action replaces Paramount Network UK". 22 December 2021.
4. "'Paramount Network' Channel is Changing to 5Action". 22 December 2021.
5. "'The whole launch show is live': We watched BBC Three's return to TV – so you didn't have to". TheGuardian.com. 2 February 2022.
6. "Freeview channel reshuffle: Retune time for all viewers". 19 January 2022.
7. "Airport 24/7: Thailand Season 1".
8. "TV listings guide". 17 January 2024.
9. "Car Crash TV Season 5".
10. "Seconds from Death: Caught on Camera Season 1".
11. "TV listings guide". 17 January 2024.
12. "Idiot TV Season 2".
13. "TV listings guide". 17 January 2024.
14. "Police Raids: Caught by Surprise Season 1".
15. White, Peter (8 June 2018). "Viacom To Launch Paramount Network In The UK In July With 'Suits' & 'The Mick'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
16. Barraclough, Leo (8 June 2018). "Viacom to Launch Paramount Network in U.K. in July". www.variety.com. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
17. "Paramount Network | Launches 4th July". www.youtube.com. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
18. Elliott, Dave (8 June 2018). "Viacom Launches Free-To-Air Channel 'Paramount Network' In The UK". www.geektown.co.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
19. "MEDIA BOY BLOG: UPDATED: Virgin Media UK tests 11 new channels". MEDIA BOY BLOG. 18 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
20. "Paramount Network UK on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
21. "Sky – Sign in". skyid.sky.com.
22. Moore, Paul. "Ireland will be getting a brand new satellite TV channel | JOE.ie". www.joe.ie. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
23. "5Spike UK axed in alignment with US brands". rxtvlog. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
24. "5Action replaces Paramount Network UK". 22 December 2021.
25. "'Paramount Network' Channel is Changing to 5Action". 22 December 2021.
26. "TV listings guide". 17 January 2024.
27. "Airwolf Season 3".
28. "Seconds from Death: Caught on Camera Season 1".
29. "Michael McIntyre's Big Show Season 4".
30. "TV listings guide". 17 January 2024.
31. "TV listings guide". 17 January 2024.
32. "Police Raids: Caught by Surprise Season 1".
33. "Tsunami Season 1".

External links

• 5Action at Channel5.com

v t e Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited
Channels	Channel 5 (Programmes) 5Action 5Select 5Star 5USA
Defunct channels	5Spike
Brands	News: 5 News (provided by ITN) Entertainment News: Access Sport: Football on 5 Children: Milkshake! Shake!
Online	My5
Other	Timeline of Channel 5 Timeline of sport on Channel 5
Category

• 2018 establishments in the United Kingdom
• Channel 5 (British TV channel)
• Television channels and stations established in 2018
• Television channels in the United Kingdom