IMPACT Wrestling Announces New UK TV Deal with 5STAR
TORONTO | LONDON – IMPACT Wrestling, a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., announced today a new broadcast deal with Viacom-owned Channel 5 to broadcast its flagship weekly show IMPACT! on 5STAR across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland starting on April 26, 2019.
This is a renewal of the partnership of IMPACT Wrestling’s deal with Channel 5, which launched IMPACT! on 5Spike in spring 2017. 5STAR, which is also part of the Channel 5 stable, is available on Sky TV (128), Freeview (30), Freesat (131), Virgin Media (151) and other DTT platforms.
New episodes of IMPACT! will premiere on 5STAR from 26th April at 11pm with weekly episodes airing in the same timeslot on Friday nights.
“Since IMPACT Wrestling’s inception in 2002, the UK has always been one of our most passionate markets,” said Ed Nordholm, president of IMPACT Wrestling. “We are excited to extend our broadcast partnership with Channel 5 and launch our weekly programming on 5Star, whose younger audience more effectively aligns with our core fan base.”
Cherry Yeandle, Senior Manager, Acquisitions and Co-Productions said: “We are thrilled to be continuing our relationship with IMPACT Wrestling and are looking forward to bringing all of the high-octane action to 5STAR. As well as quenching the appetite of the UK fans with this flagship weekly show, we are excited to introduce a new audience to all the wrestling drama – with its young audience demographic, we see 5STAR as a perfect fit.”
In 2018, IMPACT Wrestling enjoyed strong weekly audiences on 5Spike and a social media reach of over 48 million in the UK.
IMPACT Wrestling showcases top professional wrestling stars such as IMPACT World Champion Johnny Impact, Rob Van Dam, Brian Cage, Moose, Killer Kross, Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan, Mexican superstars such as Pentagon Jr. and Fenix, the high-flying X-Division and the Knockouts, including Champion Taya Valkyrie, third-generation star Tessa Blanchard and Rosemary.
For more information, visit www.impactwrestling.com and www.channel5.com/5star.
About IMPACT Wrestling
IMPACT Wrestling is one of the world’s largest wrestling entertainment properties, creating more than 300 hours of original content annually across television and other digital platforms. IMPACT Wrestling specializes in creating premium content, events, products, merchandise and music, as well as the management and promotion of professional wrestlers. Its highly successful flagship, IMPACT!, is broadcast globally, including Fridays at 10 p.m. ET/PT worldwide on Twitch, Pursuit Channel in the United States, Fight Network and GameTV in Canada, Sony ESPN in India, 5Star and Fight Network in the United Kingdom, SuperSport in Africa, and MVStv in Mexico.
For more information visit www.impactwrestling.com.
About 5STAR
5STAR is the home to drama, documentaries, factual entertainment and comedy for young audiences. Launching in Britain in October 2006, the channel rebranded as 5STAR in 2016 under the ownership of Viacom International Media Networks. 5STAR is available on main digital TV platforms in the UK, including Sky TV (128), Freesat (31), Virgin Media (151) and Freeview (30). The channel reaches over a quarter of the UK viewing public each month as a sister channel to Channel 5, 5USA and 5Spike. Over the past few years original content on the channel has grown including, Celebs on the Farm, Young Dumb and Banged Up in the Sun and Rich Kids Go Skint, alongside UK drama, Clink.