5Star | |
---|---|
Launched | 15 October 2006 |
Owned by | Channel 5 Broadcasting Ltd (Viacom International Media Networks Europe) |
Picture format | 576i (SDTV 16:9, 4:3) |
Audience share | 0.50% 0.04% (+1) (September 2015 , BARB) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Formerly called | Five Life (2006-08) FIVER (2008-11) 5* (2011-16) |
Sister channel(s) | |
Timeshift service | 5Star +1 |
Website | www.channel5.com/5star |
Availability
|
|
Terrestrial | |
Freeview | Channel 30 Channel 55 (+1) |
Satellite | |
Freesat | Channel 131 Channel 132 (+1) |
Sky (UK only) | Channel 176 Channel 177 (+1) |
Astra 2F | 10964 H 22000 5/6 |
Cable | |
Virgin Media | Channel 151 Channel 186 (+1) |
WightFibre | Channel 15 |
5Star (formerly stylised with an asterisk as 5*) is a British digital television channel owned by Viacom International Media Networks Europe. It is a sister channel of Channel 5 and 5USA. It originally launched as the female-oriented Five Life on 15 October 2006, and was rebranded as Fiver on 28 April 2008 with a revised version of the same concept. The channel later re-branded as 5* on 7 March 2011, and later to its current name on 11 February 2016.
The channel is available on digital television via Freesat, Freeview, Sky, and Virgin Media, and broadcasts between 09:00 and 04:00.
The channel was intended to be a female-oriented channel with an emphasis on lifestyle programming. Channel 5 announced that programming on launch would include The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Love My Way, Windfall, Angela's Eyes, and a weekday double-bill of the chat show Trisha Goddard. On 16 October 2006, a day following the channel's launch, Australian soap opera Home and Away began airing from episode 4212 (Series 19). New episodes are shown Monday to Friday in a 'First Look' screening with episodes following the Channel 5 airing. A weekly omnibus also airs every Sunday. Repeats of popular female-skewing dramas, both nationally and internationally produced, were soon acquired. Following the channel's launch, a time-shift version of the channel was launched in summer 2007.
Five Life relaunched as Fiver in 2008 while still targeting female audiences, the channel was re-positioned with a "younger, faster, louder" concept, meant to compete with LivingTV. On-air presentation reflected this shift with a "cursor" motif, typing out words reflecting programs and current events.