Skydance-owned UK broadcaster 5 saw pre-tax profit fall 64% to £11.93 million ($15.8M) in 2025, from £33.6 million a year earlier, according to earnings filed at Companies House. The result is the clearest financial marker yet of a legacy UK broadcaster rebuilding around streaming inside David Ellison’s Skydance group.
The network, previously known as Channel 5, recorded revenue of £292 million, down nearly 9% from £319.4 million. Post-tax profit dropped 75% to £8.28 million, and the trading entity swung to a £10.9 million operating loss. A one-off £19.1 million gain from moving its stake in Viacom Interactive Limited to another Skydance unit softened the result.
Where the money went
Management pointed to a “challenging” advertising market and heavier spending on streaming, content and marketing. The result is a useful case study in trading margin today for streaming reach tomorrow.
- Pre-tax profit: £11.93M, down 64% from £33.6M
- Revenue: £292M, down nearly 9% year on year
- Streaming viewing minutes: up 34%, fastest of any UK public service broadcaster
The streaming payoff, early but real
5 reports that online viewing and ad revenue are now rising. Its streaming service added auto-scaling to handle live-viewing surges, better recommendations, sharper simulcast picture quality, curated collections and ads on mobile and web during live streams.
All Creatures Great and Small was the most-watched scripted title on 5’s streaming platform, with The Forsytes also cited as a strong performer. The pattern is important: library and returning drama are carrying streaming while linear ad demand stays soft.
What the ad sales map looks like now
As a public service broadcaster, 5 carries reach and content obligations even as it competes for ad budgets. That makes the streaming investment a strategic necessity, not optional experimentation.
Channel 4, its nearest commercial rival, booked flat revenue of £1 billion and a £10 million deficit. Critically for buyers, Channel 4 now controls TV advertising sales for 5 and UKTV after the £300 million Paramount ad-sales mandate moved from Sky.
For media planners, the practical shift is that one negotiation can now span three networks, with linear and streaming inventory increasingly bundled. Reemah Sakaan, who became 5’s president in January, and content chief Ben Frow now need to prove that online ad revenue can outrun the linear decline. The 34% viewing-minute jump is the number to track next.
Source: Deadline
