Five: Milkshake channel "extremely doubtful"

Five has played down recent reports that it is planning to launch a digital kids channel.

The new station, which would be based on its popular Milkshake strand, is one of several options being considered by the network. Five's controller of children's programming, Nick Wilson, said today that the commercial viability of the 'Milkshake' channel made it an "extremely doubtful" proposition.

"We've looked at all sorts of options for rolling out the Milkshake brand, both traditional and non-traditional," Wilson told Broadcast. "But we've not decided whether a channel of any kind is the answer because there are so many other ways of rolling programming out to your audience, from DVDs to broadband.

"Five is looking across the board at its digital strategy and nothing would be done with Milkshake in isolation from the rest of the channel."