I must admit that I’m getting more and more excited about the upcoming new episodes of The X-Files. Even though there’s probably too much “revisiting” of old TV series going on, I’m more than happy to catch up with Mulder and Scully again.

The six part series airs in the US, starting Sunday 24th January and then continuing on Monday 25th January and running each Monday for the next four weeks. So not long to go then?

Well if you’re in the UK, you might want to hold your horses…

Back in early December we learnt that Channel 5 had won the rights to the series in the UK. In some ways this might seem to be a surprise since there are strong ownership ties between Fox and Sky TV. But either way, less than two months between buying the rights and putting a show on air is not far ahead of transmission dates in TV terms. Indeed it seemingly took Channel 5 another 12 days to actually issue their own press release in the run up to Christmas!

As part of the package, Channel 5 also gained the rights to air 20 episodes from the original series, dubbed by Fox (the US studio who own and distribute the series), as “The Essential Collection.” Given that those episodes are likely to be ones that are “Mythology”-heavy, including much of the backstory that ran throughout the series, it would be expected that they would air ahead of the new episodes.

Meanwhile Fox announced on the 17th December that in 60+ territories internationally, the new series would run on their Fox International services. Furthermore, the series would run “day & date” with the US release schedule. In other words those Fox stations will air the show within 24 hours of its US broadcast. Fox has done similar with series like Wayward Pines, and with a world where the internet and social media know no boundaries, that’s becoming increasingly important.

Now if Channel 5 has to first get through 20 “essential” episodes of The X-Files ahead of the 25th January, then they really needed to start showing them this week. But they’re not.

Whereas, the FX Channel in India, part of the Fox International stable did start showing these episodes from this week – one a day at the moment, although they’ll have to double up for a week to get them all out before 25th January.

On the other hand, H2 in the UK is showing The X-Files from the start, two episodes a night starting tonight! But they seem to be showing every episode, so they won’t be done in time. In any case, they’re not owned by Viacom, Channel 5’s new owners, so this would seem to be part of a separate licencing deal.

More worryingly, the new series of Celebrity Big Brother begins this week on Channel 5, and that means at least four weeks’ of prime time coverage for an hour or more a night. The channel does use this to launch other series like a UK version of Lip Sync Battle and the start of season 2 of Gotham (itself coming many months after it began airing in the US). But unless they’re going to run the new X-Files without running the older episodes first, or they’re going to blitz the older episodes across a sister network like Spike, then I can’t see UK viewers getting the episodes in a timely manner even though much of the rest of the world will be.

It’s not for nothing that Sky runs series like Game of Thrones “day & date” with HBO in the US – indeed simultaneously if you can stay up late on Sunday nights.

I don’t know if Channel 5 realises the property it has. This isn’t another NCIS or CSI that you can throw on-air whenever suits. If they don’t air it on the 25th then it’ll cost them viewers since people will simply look elsewhere for it and not wait. The internet brings with it spoilers, and downloading is easy. It’s not for nothing that Game of Thrones was again the most pirated show on television. And around the world channels don’t air Doctor Who near simultaneously just for fun.

I trust Channel 5 will address this soon…

[UPDATE 5 January 2016] Well I’d take full credit for this but I suspect it was more to do with the channel’s launch of the new series of “People You’ve Never Heard Of in Big Brother.”

Channel 5 are now saying that the new series is coming to Channel 5 in “Early February.”

Keep your eyes peeled during tonight's Celebrity Big Brother for a first look at the brand new series of The X Files pic.twitter.com/J1Gbn8exk9

— Channel 5 (@channel5_tv) January 5, 2016

I certainly won’t be keeping an eye out during a programme I shall never watch. But at least it’s – vaguely – in the schedules. However, that means in the very best instance, we’ll be three episodes behind the US, before the first episode airs over here. So do you think a mad-keen audience is going to be waiting for C5? Or will they look elsewhere.

But what about those 20 older episodes?

Yesterday I wrote: “…or they’re going to blitz the older episodes across a sister network like Spike…”

Well nearly. They’re showing them on 5* in the middle of the night starting next Monday at 1am (early Tuesday).

Not really worth mentioning them in the press release then if you’re hiding them away like that, hey C5?

Well at least anyone who doesn’t know how to use the internet will be happy. Me? Well…