A major TV channel has launched a sudden rebrand in a move which has been mocked as ‘beyond parody’ by fans.

In a dramatic overhaul, Channel 5 will now simply be known as… 5. 

The station reverted to its original moniker in 2011 after it took on the spelled-out form of the number Five in 2002 – five years after it became Britain’s fifth channel.

Channel 5 (or 5, rather)’s fourth rebrand in its 28-year history takes it into a new era where its linear TV and streaming offerings will be unified under one name, replacing the current My5 platform.

The move was first touted in August, but the divisive relaunch will take effect from Wednesday. 

Despite the fanfare, loyal viewers seem less than impressed with yet another name change, taking to social media to express their frustration and confusion.

A major TV channel has launched a sudden rebrand in a move which has been branded ‘beyond parody’ by fans

In a dramatic overhaul, Channel 5 will now simply be known as… 5. The move was first touted in August but the stunning relaunch will take effect from Wednesday

One baffled fan said: ‘Channel 5 is rebranding to 5. So it’s been Channel 5 > Five > Channel 5 > Five.’

Another added: ‘Channel 5 rebranding every two seconds but never finding the time to show Family Affairs from the beginning.’

A third posted: ‘Channel 5 and My5 are now known as “5”, giving the same name to TV & streaming. Same as when All4 was renamed “Channel 4”. So, you can now watch #TheAuPair on 5, even though you can’t, because #JeremyVine is on… They never think this through…’

Another viewer said: ‘”Five” was hideous. “Channel 5” is perfect. “5” is better than “Five” so I’ll take it.’

One infuriated fan added: ‘Oh, God, not another Channel 5 rebrand. This is beyond parody now. I still remember when 5Star went through several rebrands too.’

And a sixth posted: ‘With soooo much ott focus on streaming apps and TV channels live audience dropping yearly are name changes even needed now or have any effects grabbing attention?’

The rebrand will take on the tagline, ‘It’s all on 5’, aiming to draw attention to the range of channels it is now partnered with, following its acquisition by Paramount.

The unification of the streaming and linear offerings will mean the likes of Australian soap Home & Away will be available online from 6am each weekday, almost 20 hours before it airs. 

Channel 5 (or 5, rather)’s fourth rebrand in its 28-year history takes it into a new era where its linear TV and streaming offerings will be unified (pictured: Channel 5’s 2000 logo)

The station reverted to its original moniker in 2011 after it took on the spelled-out form of the number Five in 2002 (pictured)- five years after it became Britain’s fifth channel

The unification of the streaming and linear offerings will mean the likes of Australian soap Home & Away will be available online from 6am each weekday, almost 20 hours before it airs

The station’s chief content creator Ben Frow said: ‘We have always been led by our audience and bringing Channel 5 and My5 together as 5 reflects our ambition that they can watch or stream whichever way suits them best.

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‘There is huge breadth of new content on streaming for viewers to discover, but the heart of 5 will always be our commitment to originated, UK produced public service content – including our award winning factual and more hours of original drama than we have ever commissioned.

‘With an unmissable nationwide marketing campaign that is bigger than anything we’ve done before, I hope we can open the eyes of those who haven’t previously watched with us to some of the fantastic shows we have to entertain them.’

Meanwhile, Sarah Rose, president of 5 and the UK regional lead at parent company Paramount, said: ‘This is the start of a new and exciting era for 5 as we bring together our linear and streaming services under one clear brand. 

‘Everything our audience and our advertisers already love about Channel 5 will be central to this relaunch – but there will be much more besides, with a huge array of content from the Paramount family and beyond, new live channels and a brand-new user experience for our streaming product.’