Buyer Database · Buyer / Distributor · Updated
Channel 5
Channel 5 is commissioning factual entertainment formats and factual drama at a three-year content-spend high, while its streaming platform 5 posts the fastest viewing growth among UK public service broadcasters.
Current mandate
Channel 5 is actively commissioning across factual entertainment and factual drama. The most recent signal, dated April 2026, is the greenlight for Trading Places, a new factual entertainment format described as a fish-out-of-water transformative-experience series in the mould of top-rating formats such as Rich House Poor House. Two factual drama commissions, Suspect: Kate McCann and Suspect: The Road Rage Killer, landed in February 2026, confirming the channel's continued push into drama that Paramount UK chief content officer Ben Frow has championed in recent years.
Over the past twelve months, Channel 5 has logged 20 tracked records and one confirmed deal in the most recent 90-day window. Content spend reached a three-year high of £216.6M in 2024, a figure that stands in contrast to competitor Channel 4, which cut spending to its lowest level since 2020. The pattern points to a buyer willing to invest counter-cyclically in originals, particularly formats with warmth, social contrast, and broad terrestrial appeal, alongside true-crime and real-event factual drama.
Producers seeking access should route submissions through represented decision makers; 19 are currently tracked on ScriptMatch. Ben Frow remains the key editorial voice, and incoming international chief Kevin MacLellan has publicly signalled appetite for expanded activity. Unsolicited approaches are unlikely to land without an established relationship or agent representation, but the active commissioning slate and growing streamer footprint on platform 5 mean the window for format and drama pitches is genuinely open.
Signature peaks
- +53% YoY Streaming Growth — Platform 5 viewing vs. 2023; fastest among UK PSBs
- 19 Decision Makers Tracked — Active contacts on ScriptMatch as of latest signal
- 1 Recent Commissions (90d) — Trading Places factual entertainment format, April 2026
Mandate dimensions
- Genre focus
- factual entertainment, reality formats
- Territory focus
- Not disclosed
- Budget tier (observed)
- Not disclosed
- Access pattern
- 19 decision makers tracked on ScriptMatch. Senior editorial authority sits with Ben Frow (Paramount UK chief content officer); Kevin MacLellan (international chief) is a newly active contact signalling expanded ambition. Agent or prodco representation is the standard access route. No open submission portal is publicly documented.
- Deal structure
- All recent commissions (Trading Places; Suspect: Kate McCann; Suspect: The Road Rage Killer) are listed as commissioned originals with budgets not disclosed. Channel 5 operates as a commissioning broadcaster and distributor under Paramount ownership, with deals structured as original commissions rather than acquisitions off a completed-film market.
Recent acquisitions
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Suspect: Kate McCann
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Suspect: The Road Rage Killer
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Trading Places
Paramount-owned UK terrestrial 5 has commissioned a new factual entertainment format called Trading Places.
Market context
"We can do a lot more for the business." — Kevin MacLellan, international chief, on Channel 5's potential, as relayed by Ben Frow
Channel 5 is actively commissioning across factual entertainment and factual drama. The most recent signal, dated April 2026, is the greenlight for Trading Places, a new factual entertainment format described as a fish-out-of-water transformative-experience series in the mould of top-rating formats such as Rich House Poor House. Two factual drama commissions, Suspect: Kate McCann and Suspect: The Road Rage Killer, landed in February 2026, confirming the channel's continued push into drama that Paramount UK chief content officer Ben Frow has championed in recent years.
Common questions about Channel 5
Does Channel 5 accept unsolicited scripts or format pitches?
Channel 5 does not have a publicised open-door policy for unsolicited submissions. With 19 decision makers currently tracked, the most reliable route is through an agent or prodco with an existing relationship at the channel. Ben Frow, as Paramount UK chief content officer, is the primary editorial gatekeeper, and incoming international chief Kevin MacLellan has signalled fresh appetite for content partnerships, making warm introductions through representation the recommended approach.
What budgets does Channel 5 commission at?
Specific per-title budgets are not disclosed on recent commissions including Trading Places, Suspect: Kate McCann, and Suspect: The Road Rage Killer. At the slate level, Channel 5's total content spend reached a three-year high of £216.6M in 2024, indicating meaningful overall investment. Producers should treat individual project budgets as subject to negotiation and not publicly benchmarked, and should seek guidance from representation familiar with the channel's current rates.
Does Channel 5 acquire projects from film festivals?
Channel 5's tracked acquisition activity centres on commissioned originals rather than festival pickups. Recent commissions, including two factual drama titles and a new factual entertainment format, were all greenlit directly rather than acquired off a festival circuit. The channel's mandate leans toward formats and factual drama built for broad UK terrestrial and streaming audiences, which typically enters the pipeline at development or early production stage rather than post-festival.
How do I reach Channel 5 commissioners?
ScriptMatch currently tracks 19 decision makers connected to Channel 5, providing the most direct route to identifying the right contact. Editorially, Ben Frow (Paramount UK chief content officer) and Kevin MacLellan (international chief) are the senior figures publicly associated with commissioning strategy. Industry events, prodco partnerships, and agent-brokered introductions remain the standard access pathways. Cold outreach to commissioners directly is not an established or recommended route.
What genres is Channel 5 prioritising right now?
The current commissioning pattern points to two clear priorities. First, fish-out-of-water factual entertainment formats with transformative, socially contrasting experiences, exemplified by the April 2026 commission Trading Places and the channel's long-running affinity for formats like Rich House Poor House. Second, factual drama rooted in real events and true crime, as evidenced by the February 2026 commissions Suspect: Kate McCann and Suspect: The Road Rage Killer. Drama more broadly has been a growing focus under Ben Frow.
Is Channel 5 actively commissioning in 2025 and 2026?
Yes. Channel 5 recorded 20 tracked activity signals in the past 12 months and confirmed at least one commission in the most recent 90-day window (Trading Places, April 2026). Content spend hit a three-year high of £216.6M in 2024, and the streaming platform 5 grew viewing by 53% year-on-year, reinforcing the channel's incentive to keep originals flowing. Kevin MacLellan's arrival in an international role adds a further commissioning and co-production dimension to watch.
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Related reading
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