American based TV for English Audiences (Channel 5)

Member Name: iamasadlittleboy

Product:	Channel 5
Date:	09/01/08 (79 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: SPORTS!, American comedy, Neighbours

Disadvantages: Not much filler (Though Im usually out/busy during daytime hours)

Five was, before I moved back in with my mum, my most watched station, and argueably the only reason I had a TV lisence. You may all be calling me a fool, but I am willing to admit I am (ha up yours :-P), Channel 5 was once described by it's head leader person as "Much more than just films football and fucking". This was said when then Channel was still Channel 5 rather than the rebranded Five, where the channel managed to get it's figures from late night Friday porn movie's and it's football coverage (Eufa cup).

The porn hurt the company some what devaluing it as a mainstream terestrial station, and something they took several years to get over, and with Rise, their answer to channel 4's "Big Breakfast" failing quicker than Sam Allerdyce's career as Newcastle manager the station was seen as a laughing stock. It was almost anything they touched that went down hill, although now considered a bit of a dark era for the station, it did lead to board realising that people will not watch complete crap.

The first major progression away from this was when the station bought the rights to show Australian daytime soap Home and Away, although only the second best Aussie soap to be shown in Britain it was a major coup taking it from under the noses of ITV. This is generally considered to be the time when the company started to hit the public, and steal some of the viewing figures.

Although personally a huge Neighbours fan, this was still a shock to see (and now with the rights for Neighbours, Five are going from strength to strength), however Five's brilliance hadn't come to me until recently. With the ability to use the internet at anytime of day, I quickly became more and more enthralled in sport, which is some what a forte of independent TV stations, none more so than Five.

Where as we might catch the FA cup on BBC, the odd Amir Khan "fight" and F1 races on ITV and a few bits and bobs thrown in here and their, Five's dominance of the American sports market has been an amazing strangle hold for them. Holding simucasts with NASN (sky channel) on some events and exclusive on others, with sports including MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL they are slowly but surely dragging people into the sports.

Of course BBC do own the rights to show the superbowl, but this could well be considered a smarter move by Five than first stands out, Five have something in the region of 40 live games, to the BBC's 1, if fans are caught up in superbowl fever, they are likely to follow up the interest with Five the following year.

And away from the sports, Five (and it's sister stations Five US and Five Life) have managed to capatilise on the stellar CSI franchise by bagging the rights to show that. This added to american sitcoms like Joey (the Friends spin off), Californication (David Duchovny star) and 30 Rock (Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey star) and Who's line is it anyway US?. Of course this sort of thing will only really appeal to fans of US TV, and shouldn't be seen as better than Channel 4's comedy line up (which includes Scrubs, My name is earl and Friends) but should be seen as a hearty chunk of brilliance.

Overall the programming maybe a bit thin for some, but for us insomniac's, it's just the sort of entertainment we want, sport and comedy for all I tell you, it's the way foreward.

Did I remember to say Neighbours is going over there too? Seriously, from strength to strength and a long away from the shambles they began life as.

Summary: Good for me