Channel 5 axes OK! TV

OK! TVChannel 5 is to axe OK! TV as part of the broadcasters’ plans to move its news contract from Sky back to ITN.

Media Guardian is reporting that the early evening entertainment magazine programme is to be ditched by Channel 5 – and are confirming that the broadcaster is seeking to give its news contract back to ITN. At present it is held by Sky News who have produced news bulletins for C5 since 2005 – previously they were produced by ITN.

Channel 5 is seeking to make its news bulletins more entertainment focused, as well as cutting costs. OK! TV launched earlier this year as a replacement for the struggling Live from Studio 5 but it failed to make an impact on the ratings. Denise Van Outen was hired to be a presenter on the magazine programme but pulled out just days before it launched.

The last edition of OK! TV, a spin-off from Richard Desmond’s celebrity magazine, will be broadcast before the end of the year. It is expected that ITN will begin producing news bulletins for C5 early next year.