Channel 5 (the UK TV channel now known simply as 5) started broadcasting on 30 March 1997 at 6 p.m.

Quick date check

  • Official launch date: 30 March 1997.
  • Launch time: 6 p.m., with a special launch sequence.
  • Purpose: It was created as the fifth national terrestrial television channel in the United Kingdom.

Extra launch details

  • The launch evening famously opened with the Spice Girls performing a reworked version of “5-4-3-2-1” as “1-2-3-4-5.”
  • At launch, only around 65% of the UK could receive the signal, due to frequency and retuning issues.

TL;DR: Channel 5 started on 30 March 1997 at 6 p.m. as the UK’s fifth terrestrial TV channel.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.