RTL 5



RTL 5 is the second channel of the RTL Group in the Netherlands and began transmission on 2 October 1993. The channel mainly broadcasts American films and hit series but also reality shows, comedy, travel, international shows and local productions including Expeditie Robinson, Holland's Next Top Model & Benelux' Next Top Model, Dutch versions of America's Next Top Model, Dutch version of Project Catwalk, So You Think You Can Dance and a Dutch version of ITV's Take Me Out.

Officially RTL 5 - along with RTL 4, RTL 7 and RTL 8 - is headquartered in Luxembourg, broadcasting with a Luxembourg TV license. This allows them to avoid more severe control by the Dutch media authorities as Luxembourg's television watchdog is less strict.

History
RTL 5 started as RTL V via the Astra 1C satellite on 2 October 2, 1993. The programming mainly consists of shows about cars and programmes for men. In 1994 it changed the Roman number V into 5. In 1995 Veronica joined RTL 4 S.A., starting a joint venture called HMG (Holland Media Groep), and with three major channels RTL could disrupt the television market in the Netherlands. Therefore under pressure of the European Commission the channel was rebranded as RTL 5 Nieuws & Weer (in English: RTL 5 News & Weather) between 1997 and 1998. RTL 5 became a thematic news channel. In 2001 the European Commission reversed the restrictions for RTL 5 because competitive channels had been launched in the Netherlands. In 2001 a Business and Financial News block called RTL Z started on RTL 5 during daytime. RTL Z moved from RTL 5 to RTL 7 on 12 August 2005. Since 2005 RTL 5 has become a 24-hours channel.

Programming

 * Aliens in America
 * America's Next Top Model
 * Angel
 * Bad Girls Club
 * Balls of Steel
 * Benelux' Next Top Model
 * Breaking Bad
 * Buffy the Vampire Slayer
 * Burn Notice
 * Cashmere Mafia
 * Chuck
 * CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
 * CSI: Miami
 * Dating In The Dark
 * Degrassi: The Next Generation
 * Dollhouse
 * Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23
 * Drop Dead Diva
 * Everybody Loves Raymond
 * Expeditie Robinson
 * Glee
 * Gossip Girl
 * Greek
 * Grimm
 * , before: "Hei Elei Journaal"
 * heute-show
 * Holland's Next Top Model
 * How I Met Your Mother
 * Huge
 * Human Target
 * In Plain Sight
 * Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency
 * Kyle XY
 * Ladette to Lady
 * Leverage
 * Lie to Me
 * Life Unexpected
 * Lipstick Jungle
 * Make It Or Break It
 * MasterChef
 * MasterChef Australia
 * Melissa & Joey
 * Mercy
 * Millionaire Matchmaker
 * Modern Family
 * My Name Is Earl
 * New Girl
 * Past Life
 * Pretty Little Liars
 * Project Catwalk
 * Raising Hope
 * Robson Arms
 * Royal Pains
 * Rude Tube
 * Running In Heels
 * Saving Grace
 * Smash
 * So You Think You Can Dance
 * Spartacus
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars
 * Tabatha's Salon Takeover
 * Terra Nova
 * The Event
 * The Fashion Show
 * The King of Queens
 * The Nanny
 * The Rachel Zoe Project
 * The Secret Life of the American Teenager
 * The Tyra Banks Show
 * The Ultimate Dance Battle
 * The Unusuals
 * The Vampire Diaries
 * Transporter: The Series
 * Trauma
 * True Beauty
 * True Blood
 * Two and a Half Men
 * White Collar
 * Wipeout
 * True Blood
 * Two and a Half Men
 * White Collar
 * Wipeout
 * Wipeout

Teletext
RTL 5 offered a teletext service which stopped on 1 April 2017. The pages 888/889 are still available for subtitles.