France 5 (pronounced [fʁɑ̃s sɛ̃k]) is a French free-to-air public television channel, part of the France Télévisions group. Principally featuring educational programming, the channel's motto is la chaîne de la connaissance et du savoir (the knowledge network). In contrast to the group's two main channels, France 2 and France 3, France 5 concentrates almost exclusively on factual programming, documentaries, and discussions – 3925 hours of documentaries were broadcast in 2003[1] – with fiction confined to one primetime slot of around two hours' duration on Monday evenings.
France 5 is today available around the clock. Earlier – before completion of the switchover to digital broadcasting on 29 November 2011 – the channel's analogue frequencies had carried the programmes of the Franco-German cultural channel Arte between 19.00 each evening and 3.00 the following morning.
France 5 was called La Cinquième (The Fifth) until January 2002. It was launched on 28 March 1994 as a temporary channel under the name Télé emploi (Teleworking), more than one year after France's first privately owned free television network, La Cinq, suffered a financial collapse and ceased operations on 12 April 1992. La Cinquième started broadcasting on 13 December 1994 with a mix of small educational programs, during the hours not used by Arte (which launched less than 2 months after La Cinq's closure).
La Cinquième was integrated in the new France Télévisions public holding in 2000, which already owned Antenne 2 (since renamed France 2) and FR3 (France Régions 3, since renamed France 3); it would be rebranded as France 5 on 7 January 2002. Since then, France 5 broadcasting hours have been extended to 24 hours a day (initially available only on cable and satellite, and since spring 2005 on air within the new digital broadcasting multiplex "R1" network that supports all national public TV channels and that will replace the existing equivalent analog broadcast channels).
Des trains pas comme les autres
J'ai vu changer la Terre
Le doc sauvage
Les routes de l'impossible
Sale temps pour la planète
Vu sur Terre ...
Allo docteurs
À vous de voir
Dr. CAC
C dans l'air
C à dire?!
C politique
C'est notre histoire
Echappées belles
L'emploi par le Net
La Grande Librairie
La Maison France 5
Le Doc du dimanche
Le Magazine de la santé
Les escapades de Petitrenaud
L'Œil et la main
Médias, le magazine
Revu et corrigé
Silence, ça pousse ! ...
Zouzous Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom Bob the Builder Caillou Dessine avec Piwi! Dinosaur Train Kate & Mim-Mim Les Vacances de Piwi! Little Charmers Loopdidoo Louie Mofy Mouk The Mr. Men Show Noddy, Toyland Detective Peppa Pig Peter Rabbit Petz Club PJ Masks Sid the Science Kid Space Racers Teletoon Advance Tilly and Friends Trucktown Trotro
List of documentary channels