My5 adds BLAZE content in landmark PSB deal
David Farnor | On 05, Sep 2017
Channel 5 has signed a new deal with BLAZE to add new shows from the channel to its on-demand service, My5.
My5 continues to house all of the most popular programming from across the Channel 5 family – Channel 5, 5STAR, 5USA and Spike – from Blind Date, Big Brother and The Highland Midwife, to Lip Sync Battle UK, GPs: Behind Closed Doors and Cruising with Jane McDonald. The content line-up is further bolstered by My5 exclusives, including recently acquired series Wonderland and the forthcoming East Los High.
Now, Channel 5 is entering new territory: its agreement with A+E Networks UK marks the first time a commercial UK public service broadcaster has provided a branded presence for another UK broadcaster on its on-demand platform.
A+E Networks UK is a joint venture between A+E Networks and Sky, with a portfolio that includes HISTORY, Lifetime, Crime + Investigation and H2. BLAZE Was its most recent launch and is a free-to-air channel available on Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media and Freesat.
From today, My5 viewers can access a selection of BLAZE content, updated every month, including many hit A+E Networks UK shows, such as Swamp People, Pawn Stars, Forged in Fire and Billy the Exterminator. The content is available on the My5 website, as well as on iOS and Android devices and Samsung Smart TVs, with further platforms to follow shortly.
James Tatam, VP Commercial, Operations and Strategic Services, Channel 5, comments: “This exciting next phase in the evolution of My5 builds on our recent successes in offering exclusive box set content for the platform. We’re excited to partner with A+E Networks UK; their high quality programming from around the world broadens the appeal of My5 and we look forward to announcing further content deals in the future.”
Heather Jones, UK General Manager, A+E Networks, adds: “It is exciting to be working in partnership with Channel 5, to enable BLAZE to reach an even wider audience through the My5 digital platform. Since its UK launch last year, BLAZE is proving to be a great addition to the A+E Networks portfolio and today’s announcement is another key development in our ambitions for the brand.”
For Channel 5, it’s part of a strategy to grow viewing beyond broadcast, building on the reach of My5 as the most widely available commercial broadcaster on-demand platform and providing additional depth and breadth of content across genres.
The full list of BLAZE content to be available on My5 from September is as follows:
• Alcatraz: The Search For The Truth
• American Restoration
• America’s Book of Secrets
• Ancient Aliens
• Billy the Exterminator
• Forged in Fire
• The Godfather Legacy
• Hardcore Pawn
• Pawn Stars
• Storage Wars
• Swamp People
• Homicide Hunter
• Texas Rising
• The Curse of Oak Island
• Vikings Season 1