Fiver (channel)

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Fiver
Launched 15 October 2006
Owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting
(RTL Group)
Picture format 576i (SDTV 16:9, 4:3)
Audience share 0.6% (0.0% for +1)
(March 2008, [1])
Country Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Formerly called Five Life (until 28 April 2008)
Sister channel(s) Five
Five US
Timeshift service Fiver +1
Website www.five.tv/fiver
Availability
Terrestrial
Freeview Channel 36 (0600-2300)
Satellite
Sky Digital Channel 182
Channel 183 (+1)
Cable
Virgin Media Channel 186
IPTV over ADSL
Tiscali TV Channel 31

Fiver is a free-to-view television channel in the United Kingdom owned by Five. The channel launched as "Five Life" on 15 October 2006, and was rebranded as "Fiver" on 28 April 2008. The channel is available on digital television via Freeview, Sky Digital, Tiscali TV and Virgin Media. It was originally launched alongside Five US by Five, in order to create a multi-channel strategy, which other analogue broadcasters had already achieved.[1] Fiver broadcasts between 6am and midnight (but closes at 11pm on Freeview), and is primarily targeted at a mixed audience.

Contents

[edit] History

Five announced that programming on Five Life would include The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Love My Way,[2] Windfall,[3] and Angela's Eyes, as well as a weekday double-bill of the chat show Trisha Goddard and new episodes and a weekly omnibus of Home and Away. Repeats of teenage drama Dawson's Creek started showing in December of 2006.

The first programme broadcast on Five Life was Inside The Priory, a documentary about The Priory clinic, at 8pm on the channel's launch day. The launch of Five Life marked the start of Five's digital multi-channel strategy designed to compete with similar strategies from its rivals Channel 4 and ITV plc.

On 11 January 2007, it was announced that Five Life had acquired the multi-channel rights to air popular and recently axed ITV dramas, Bad Girls (Series 4-8) and Footballers' Wives from Spring 2007.

During weekend mornings, an extended version of the kids' strand Milkshake! is broadcast.

On 28 August 2007, Five Life launched a timeshift channel named Five Life +1.[4]

At 6am on 28 April 2008, Five Life relaunched as Fiver with a totally new on and off air identity and a raft of new shows added to the schedule.[5] These included Celebrity Rehab, Dirt and reruns of Sex and the City.

Former logo used from 16 October 2006 to 28 April 2008
Former logo used from 16 October 2006 to 28 April 2008

[edit] Launch night

The schedule for the primetime shows on the launch night of Five Life were as follows:

Time Programme Name Notes
20.00 Inside The Priory This show attracted 39,000 viewers
21.00 Make Me A Supermodel Extra This show attracted 18,000 viewers
22.00 Love My Way This show attracted 49,000 viewers (0.33% audience share)

The launch of Five Life was at the time ranked as the worst received multichannel launch for a terrestrial broadcaster ever, only managing to achieve a primetime share of 0.21%.[6]

[edit] Fiver programming

[edit] Relaunch night (as Fiver)

The schedule for the primetime shows on the launch night of Five Life were as follows (ratings figures will be available on BARB before 11 May):

Time Programme Name Notes
18.00 Animal Zoo
18.30 Home and Away Normal time as it was shown on Five Life. This is the episode that was to air on five the next day at 14.15. Episode number is 4601.
19.00 Home and Away The reason for the extra episode was to boost ratings figures on the first night. This episode was repeated the next day in its ordinary 18.30 timeslot, and aired on Five 2 days after its initial airing. Episode number is 4602
19.30 Neighbours repeated from Five. Reason for late start is stated with the 19.00 episode of Home and Away. Every day after this, it's on at its normal time of 19.00.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Five (05 June 2006). "Five unveils two new channels". Press release. Retrieved on 2006-10-12.
  2. ^ "October launch date for Five's digital channels", MediaWeek. Retrieved on 2006-10-12. 
  3. ^ "five autumn highlights 2006", Five. Retrieved on 2006-10-12. 
  4. ^ Joanne Oatts (2007-07-05). Five launches +1 services. Digital Spy.
  5. ^ "Five Life to relaunch as Fiver", The Guardian, 6 April 2008. Retrieved on 2008-04-06. 
  6. ^ "Slow start for Five Life", Digital Spy. Retrieved on 2007-11-09. 

[edit] External links