5USA is a British free-to-air television channel owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited,[2] a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global, which is grouped under Paramount Networks UK & Australia division. 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 (the owner at the time) 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.
 Logo used since 2016 | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 1080p HDTV (Sky Glass only) 576i SDTV |
| Timeshift service | 5USA +1 |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Paramount Networks UK & Australia |
| Parent | Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited |
| Sister channels | |
| History | |
| Launched | 16 October 2006 |
| Former names | Five US (2006–09)[1] Five USA (2009–11) |
| Links | |
| Website | channel5 |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Freeview | Channel 21 |
| Streaming media | |
| FilmOn | Watch live |
| Sky Go | Watch live |
| Virgin TV Go | Watch live (UK only) Watch live (+1) (UK only) |
History
editThe channel's original broadcast hours were from 4:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., however it extended its hours starting at 12:00 p.m. in June 2007. On 1 November 2015, the channel began broadcasting from 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 a.m. 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 regulations 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 – Five US +1 – available only on Sky.[3] On 22 January 2009, it was announced that Five US would be rebranded Five USA on 16 February. It became 5USA in March 2011 as part of a corporate rebranding.[4][5]
Ratings
editThe channel's highest ratings to date were on 12 February 2008 for the second part of the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Without a Trace crossover. The show averaged 2.58 million viewers between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m. equating to a multichannel share of 13.9%. Those numbers made the show the most-watched multichannel programme in its slot – beating every other channel (digital and analogue) aside from BBC One, and is currently one of the highest ratings for a multichannel in the United Kingdom.
Former logos
edit-
Five US logo
(16 October 2006 - 16 February 2009) -
Five USA logo
(16 February 2009 - 7 March 2011) -
5USA logo
(7 March 2011 - 11 February 2016)
Notes
edit- ^1 Seasons nine through fourteen were aired first-run on Channel 5. From the eighteenth season, 5USA obtained the first-run rights to the series.
- ^2 Seasons one through three and the first two episodes of the fourth season were aired first-run on 5Star. From the third episode of season four, 5USA obtained the first-run rights to the series.
- ^3 Universal Channel has first-run rights to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in the United Kingdom, as of 2014. Universal Channel is currently airing the sixteenth season. Channel 5 had second-run rights to all seasons, up until the twelfth season. From the thirteenth season, aired in 2015, 5USA has second-run rights to the series. Universal Channel UK closed down on 27 January 2020 and their programming was moved to Sky Witness.
- ^4 5USA has finished airing episodes to this first-run or second-run series and is currently rerunning episodes in their schedules, as of 2015.
References
edit- ^ "Television Broadcast Licensing Update October 2006". Ofcom. Archived from the original on 4 September 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
- ^ "Ofcom | TV Cable and Satellite". static.ofcom.org.uk. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
- ^ Joanne Oatts (5 July 2007). "Five launches +1 services". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 13 April 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
- ^ "Five US Rebranded to FiveUSA". Entertainment Interactive. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
- ^ "New brand identity for Five US". Digital Spy. 22 January 2009. Archived from the original on 24 January 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2009.