TV5 started on 2 January 1984 and was under the management of Serge Adda until his death in November 2004; the new director, named on 6 April 2005 is Jean-Jacques Aillagon, former French Minister for Culture and Communication.
In January 1992 TV5 underwent a major overhaul including re-branding as "TV5MONDE" to stress its focus as a global network ("Monde" is French for "World").