31 March – On its first night on air, Channel 5 launches its overnight coverage of American sports when it broadcasts the first edition ofLive & Dangerous. The programme broadcasts on weekdays through the night and includes live coverage of American sport as well as highlights from American and other global sports events. The first programme features the opening day of the 1997Major League Baseball season.
31 May – Even though Channel 5 had said that it hadn't been intending to show live sport at peak time, it buys the rights to one of England's qualifying matches for the 1998 World Cup – an away match againstPoland. It also shows the first of two international games of England'srugby union tour ofArgentina.
Autumn –Football on 5 fully launches as football becomes a regular fixture of the channel's output following the purchases of rights toUEFA Cup games and away qualifying matches involving the home nations, showing the latter for the next decade.
Five gains the rights to broadcastSerie A highlights and live games in the2007–08 season.[2] with live games shown weekly at 1:30pmUK time on Sundays.[3] Coverage is shown under the name ofFootball Italiano.
12 June – Five’s coverage of theNHL finishes. It also ends its coverage of the NBA at the same time.
September – Five becomes the lead broadcaster of theUEFA Europa League meaning it can show the entire tournament, including the final, for the first time. Previously it had only been able to show the early rounds due to the BBC or ITV having the rights from the quarter-finals onwards.
9 September – Five signs a deal to broadcast highlights of theUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on terrestrial television in the UK.[4]
Five ends its live overnight coverage of American sport, when it decides not to continue its coverage ofAmerican football. This brings to an end its coverage of American sport which had been a mainstay of Channel 5's weeknight overnight programming since the channel’s launch.
9 May – Channel 5’s fifteen years of showing Europe’s second tier football clubs competition ends when it shows live coverage of the2012 UEFA Europa League Final.
28 July –Football on 5 ends after the channel stops showing live football following the transfer of the rights to show theUEFA Europa League to ITV. The last game to be shown is a pre-season friendly.
2013
No events.
2014
No events.
2015
Channel 5 expands its coverage of Mixed Martial Arts when it begins showing highlights to everyBAMMA event.
8 August – Football returns to Channel 5 when it takes over the contract to broadcast highlights of theFootball League and theLeague Cup. It launches two new programmes under the revivedFootball on 5 banner. They are calledThe Championship andThe Goal Rush. The programmes are broadcast from 9pm on Saturday evening.
2016
4 September – Channel 5 acquires the UK broadcasting rights toFormula E from the2016–17 season following Formula E's termination of its contract withITV.[6] It shows all races from round three and then shows all of the following season.
2017
Coverage of MotoGP returns to Channel 5 although this time the coverage of restricted to highlights only. Channel 5 covers the event for the next two years.
September – Channel 5 takes over from ITV as broadcaster of highlights of theAviva Premiership, returning the league to C5 screens for the first time since 2001 . The deal also sees five matches per season broadcast live by the channel. This is the first time that the league has been shown live on terrestrial TV. The also includes highlights of thePremiership Rugby Cup.[7]
14 September – Channel 5, now part of theCBS Sports family, resumes its coverage of theNFL when it starts showing the weekly Monday night game plus a weekly highlights show produced byCBS Sports.[9]
2021
27 June - Channel 5 ends its 4 year run as free-to-air broadcaster of theGallagher Premiership by airing highlights of the final atTwickenham Stadium that took place the previous day.
2022
2 March – Wasserman Boxing and Channel 5 announce a deal which will see Channel 5 air five fight nights Wasserman Boxing-promoted fight nights during 2022.[10] This is later extended to cover 2023.[11]
2023
5 October - 19 November – Channel 5 is the highlights broadcaster of the2023 Cricket World Cup.[12] It also shows live coverage of the final.
8 June – Channel 5 shows live T20 cricket for the first time, the first of four T20 internationals featuring the England team that the broadcaster will show each summer until 2028.
14 June-13 July – Channel 5 shows live coverage of theFIFA Club World Cup, broadcasting 23 matches including the final, as part of a sub let deal withDAZN - who Channel 5 used for their coverage to broadcast games throughout the tournament.
7 September – Channel 5 starts showing two games/week during the regular season - the 6pm on Five and the 9.15pm on5Action. Channel 5 also shows the London and Dublin matches, three play-off games and the Super Bowl.[13]
2026
15 February – Channel 5's coverage of snooker expands when it begins to show thePlayers Championship. Channel 5 will also broadcast the Tour Championship and the British Open.[14]
