Channel 5 has signed a four-year contract with ITN to continue to produce 5 News, thought to be worth £35m in total.

The contract will run until 2020 and will see the 5 News team relocate to ITN’s headquarters on Gray’s Inn Road in central London. The move will coincide with a new look for the programme and set.

5 News is currently produced in the Northern and Shell building on Lower Thames St where The Daily Express is based – a legacy of C5’s previous contract with ITN before the channel was sold by Richard Desmond to Viacom.
 
The announcement follows the arrival in January 2016 of Sian Williams as presenter of 5 News at 5. 5 News Tonight at 6.30pm is presented by Matt Barbet.
 
Under editor Cristina Nicolotti Squires, 5 News says it has a renewed focus on exclusive investigations and reporting, looking at issues of importance to its viewers, such as the NHS and immigration.
 
In 2014, Viacom agreed with Ofcom a change to the terms of Channel 5’s public service licence to increase its minimum quota of News programmes in peak by 20%, from 100 hours to 120 hours annually. Channel 5’s all hours News quota rose by the same amount, from 240 hours to 260 hours annually.
 
Paul Dunthorne, Channel 5’s Chief Operating Officer said:  “This deal reinforces our commitment to provide a high quality and accessible news service.  Under Cristina Nicolotti Squires and her talented team both in front and behind the camera, 5 News continues to deliver consistently impactful and insightful news programming with broad appeal.”
 
ITN Chief Executive John Hardie said: “We are delighted to confirm this new four-year contract with Channel 5. 5 News consistently delivers distinctive, authoritative news programmes and I am delighted that Channel 5 has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to our innovative and high quality output.”
 
 

Staff Reporter

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