This is Freeview and Freesat related given Digital UK's involvement in Freesat now.
Hopefully it will help the alignment of the Free To Air TV platforms with another broadcaster involved.
RXTVlog article on it.
In a way I'm not surprised, but in another way I am surprised.
It makes perfect sense of course for CH5 to join the party, late.... but unlike the other broadcasters, CH5 is American owned, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out in the long term.
What is guarantted now is that all the others were going to launch a combined Freeview streamer and now with CH5 on board, that now becomes a certainty. Perhaps that was the reason why the combined streamer hadn't launched yet, as they were waiting to see what CH5 might do.
Ch5's owners, ViacomCBS, already have streaming interests in the UK with My5, Pluto and the soon to launch Paramount+, so it will be interesting to see how all that lot fits in (or not..) with the new streamer.
I just had a wild idea, probably for another thread, but.... with the threat of the tech giants on the traditional American tv and Hollywood companies, could these companies ultimately seek some kind of refuge under UK law and become PSBs to protect themselves?
Wild thought over. 
I just had a wild idea, probably for another thread, but.... with the threat of the tech giants on the traditional American tv and Hollywood companies, could these companies ultimately seek some kind of refuge under UK law and become PSBs to protect themselves?
Wild thought over.
For those whose strategy is ensuring they deliver services via all methods in order not to back the wrong horse, or go all in with a new method too quickly and lose their existing audience, I can indeed see it as protecting themselves... though more as protecting one finger in one pie. 
Sky try to play the PSB card occasionally, of course, too e.g. Sky Arts FTA. Though their commitment has always been intermittent, Sky Arts has already been demoted on both VM and their own Satellite service EPG due to Showcase/Max change.
Display MoreIn a way I'm not surprised, but in another way I am surprised.
It makes perfect sense of course for CH5 to join the party, late.... but unlike the other broadcasters, CH5 is American owned, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out in the long term.
What is guarantted now is that all the others were going to launch a combined Freeview streamer and now with CH5 on board, that now becomes a certainty. Perhaps that was the reason why the combined streamer hadn't launched yet, as they were waiting to see what CH5 might do.
Ch5's owners, ViacomCBS, already have streaming interests in the UK with My5, Pluto and the soon to launch Paramount+, so it will be interesting to see how all that lot fits in (or not..) with the new streamer.
Interestingly, all 3rd party content and Pluto have been removed from the C5 VOD service. Also My5 has been merged with their main website. I wonder if this is connected to any unified Freeview streamer plan?
Not noticed that, thanks Richard.
It could be. The unfied streamer was meant to have launched by now, but clearly everyone else was waiting to see whether C5 would join or not.
And it looks like it's clear now, ish, how ViacomCBS will deal with streaming in the UK. All their UK stuff will go into the unified streamer (with perhaps a few exceptions like some high end dramas) and all the yank stuff will go into Paramount+ and Pluto.
Interestingly, all 3rd party content and Pluto have been removed from the C5 VOD service. Also My5 has been merged with their main website. I wonder if this is connected to any unified Freeview streamer plan?
The removals happened over 2 months ago. I posted it here.
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