Kanal 5 is a general entertainment channel which is actually based in the United Kingdom.
It was launched in 1989 as The Nordic Channel. It was later on purchased by American who renamed it TV5 with the intention to get a column next to TV1-4 in the TV listings. They did however receive complaints French TV5 (which at this time had wide coverage in Sweden though many cable networks). They had to rename the channel. After trying to differentiate themselves by adding "Nordic" to the name, they renamed the channel Femman ("The Five"). In 1996 the channel got its final name: Kanal 5.
In its early years, the channel was struggling, but since the early '00s it has gained popularity among young people and is now almost as big as TV3.
