5Spike
5Spike was a British free-to-air television channel owned by ViacomCBS Networks UK & Australia. Launching on 15 April 2015 on Freeview as just Spike, it was a localised version of the American cable channel Spike, and became a multiplex channel of Channel 5 in 2017 when it renamed as 5Spike. It primarily aired entertainment programmes, including action and drama series, police documentaries, and programming from its American counterpart, as well as mixed martial arts.
On 7 January 2020, the network was discontinued, with Paramount Network assuming its channel placements and programming.
History
Following Viacom's acquisition of Channel 5, it was confirmed in late 2014 that a local version of the male-skewing American channel Spike would be launching in the United Kingdom, with the channel proposed to replace Viva on Freeview. The channel was operated under the auspices of Channel 5's programming director Ben Frow; of Spike's lineup, he described the service as a "driven, high-energy channel offering a point of view and program mix I think is different from anything else on British TV right now."Spike launched on 15 April 2015 on Freeview channel 31, displacing 5USA; although it was originally announced that Spike would replace Viva entirely on Freeview, Viva was instead moved to a different channel and reduced to two hours per day to conserve bandwidth for Spike, with 5USA taking on its previous channel allotment. Among its first programmes, the premiere of Police Interceptors Unleashed was seen by 137,000 viewers.
On 31 October 2017, Spike was rebranded as 5Spike to more closely associate itself with its sister channels and the Channel 5 brand.
A British version of Spike's successor in the US, Paramount Network, was launched on 4 July 2018. On 7 January 2020, 5Spike was merged with Paramount Network.
Programming
The channel's lineup drew primarily from the original programmes produced by its U.S counterpart, including Catch a Contractor and Lip Sync Battle among others. The channel also aired imported U.S dramas, from modern dramas such as Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and The Walking Dead, to classic shows such as The X-Files, The A-Team and Knight Rider. Spike also carried original British productions, such as Police Interceptors Unleashed, and repeats of some of Channel 5's factual programmes.As in the U.S, mixed-martial arts also comprised a portion of Spike's lineup, with British TV rights to Bellator MMA and, under a long-term deal, exclusive rights to BAMMA events beginning with BAMMA 20 on 25 April 2015.
Original programming
- BAMMA
- Car Crash TV
- Criminals: Caught on Camera
- Fights, Camera, Action
- Outrageous Stunts
- Police Interceptors Takedown
- Police Interceptors Unleashed
- Seconds From Death: Caught on Camera
- Sewermen
- Tattoo Disasters UK
- Trucking Hell
- Ultimate Boxxer
- Under Attack
- World's Deadliest Weather: Caught on Camera
- ''World's Wildest Flights''
From Spike US
- Bar Rescue
- Bellator MMA
- Caraoke Showdown
- Catch a Contractor
- Cops
- Framework
- Frankenfood
- Hungry Investors
- Life or Debt
- Lip Sync Battle
- ''Sweat Inc.''
From Channel 5
Bad Tenants, Rogue LandlordsBen Fogle: New Lives in the WildCan't Pay? We'll Take It AwayChris Tarrant: Extreme RailwaysCowboy BuildersEddie Stobart: Trucks & TrailersThe Gadget ShowIt Takes A Thief To Catch A ThiefNightmare Tenants, Slum LandlordsPolice InterceptorsRobson's Extreme Fishing ChallengeTraffic CopsUK's Strongest ManWeather TerrorWinter Road RescueWorld's Scariest...Imported
- 19-2
- 60 Days In
- Airport Security: Peru
- Airwolf
- Animal Fight Club
- The A-Team
- BattleBots
- Black Sails
- Boy to Man
- Behind Bars: The World's Toughest Prisons
- Breaking Bad
- Cimarron Strip
- Fail Army
- Fugitive Black Ops
- From Dusk till Dawn: The Series
- Gangland Undercover
- Helix
- High Alert
- Impact Wrestling
- Justified
- Klondike
- Knight Rider
- Lockdown
- Megastructures
- Olympus
- Powers
- Running Wild with Bear Grylls
- Six
- Sons of Anarchy
- Spartacus
- Street Hawk
- Strongman Champions League
- Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
- Transporter: The Series
- The Walking Dead
- Vikings
- The Virginian
- Weather Gone Viral
- Wild Catch
- Wynonna Earp
- ''The X-Files''
Most watched programmes
The following is a list of the ten most watched shows on Spike, based on Live +7 data supplied by BARB up to 17 March 2019. The number of viewers does not include repeats or airings on 5Spike +1.| Rank | Show | Episode | Number of Viewers | Date |
| 1 | The Expendables 2 | N/A | 359,000 | 27 March 2016 |
| 2 | The Guns of Navarone | N/A | 343,000 | 20 May 2018 |
| 3 | Centurion | N/A | 328,000 | 12 February 2017 |
| 4 | The Expendables 3 | N/A | 335,000 | 27 December 2017 |
| 5 | The Expendables 3 | N/A | 327,000 | 26 March 2017 |
| 6 | Battle of Britain | N/A | 311,700 | 27 December 2019 |
| 7 | Battle of Britain | N/A | 306,500 | 9 March 2019 |
| 8 | Transporter: The Series | 2.07 – Sex, Lies and Video Tapes | 303,000 | 19 February 2016 |
| 9 | Trucking Hell | 1.02 – Episode Two | 294,000 | 24 May 2018 |
| 10 | Hummingbird (film) | N/A | 286,100 | 13 March 2019 |