Paramount-owned UK broadcaster formerly known as Channel 5 has secured the rights to show two Sunday evening NFL games on free-to-air TV.
- More free-to-air coverage than before.
- Dermot O’Leary, Sam Kwek and Osi Umenyiora to front coverage on 5.
- Late Sunday game on 5ACTION.
5 has secured live coverage of a selection of live NFL games, as part of new multi-year partnership announced Thursday.
The deal secures ongoing free-to-air access to the Super Bowl, which until earlier this year was shown on ITV1. Freeview NFL coverage has traditionally been limited and passed around various broadcasters over the years.
With the new broadcast deal, two Sunday evening games will be broadcast free-to-air in the UK. The 6pm game will be live on 5, with sister channel 5ACTION taking up coverage of the late Sunday game from 9pm. During game nights, 5ACTION will temporarily rebrand as ‘5NFL’.
NFL coverage on 5 will kick off at 5:30pm on game nights with studio show NFL: Big Game Night, hosted by Dermot O’Leary, with Sam Quek, double-Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora, and weekly special guests.
How 5 will cover the breaks
NFL games have significantly more frequent ad-breaks than UK viewers are used to. Thanks to UK rules on the number of adverts broadcasters can show, UK broadcasters have to fill in some of the breaks. 5 has partnered with Hungry Bear Media for a new play-along entertainment format which will air around the 6pm games.
Whenever the NFL game stops in the US, 5 will keep going with the fun and games – in the form of a ‘game within a game’. Two teams of friends and family in the UK will battle for prizes in a series of games. They will be representing the two teams playing that night and can only score points when their team has the ball. The winning team on the night will play one final game where they have the chance to win a holiday to an NFL city in the US.
Additional games on 5
5 has also got the rights to show NFL London and Dublin Games, as well as Thanksgiving Day specials and three playoff games.
There’s been a recent increase in audiences for live NFL thanks to an unlikely cause. Taylor Swift’s relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has attracted additional female viewers to the sport. NFL figures published in 2024 revealed a 53% spike among teenage girls, a 24% increase among women aged 18-24, and a 34% rise among women aged 35 and above. Paramount will hope to profit from that trend.
Meanwhile, Paramount has been busy buying in sports rights to boost 5, which went through a lengthy time without much live sport. This year, the channel has gained the rights to show the FIFA Club World Cup and live cricket. Channel 5 originally launched in 1997 with a focus on live football.
Where to find 5ACTION on your TV
While 5 is easy to find on channel 5 or 105 on all major TV platforms and the streaming app, also named 5, 5ACTION may still be an unfamiliar channel for sports fans.
5ACTION is available on Freeview, Freely, Sky, Virgin Media, Freesat and EE TV across the UK. It will be temporarily rebrand to 5NFL onscreen during game nights.
- Freeview channel 33
- Freely channel 26
- Freesat channel 132
- Sky satellite (Sky Q) channel 150
- Sky Glass/Stream channel 165
- Virgin Media channel 130
- EE TV channel 33
- Via the 5 app – look for the channels in the live TV section of the app. Live TV streaming isn’t supported on all devices. If you’re using a TV to access the app, you may want to check the above channel numbers.
In the Republic of Ireland: 5 and 5ACTION aren’t officially available in the Republic of Ireland. The channels can be manually tuned in on a Sky satellite receiver.
By: Marc Thornham | Image: Paramount