GB News overtakes BBC for first time to become Britain’s most watched TV news channel
GB News has overtaken the BBC for the first time to become Britain’s number one TV news channel.
New figures show that GB News beat both the Beeb and Sky News in terms of viewing figures during key slots in July.
It marks the first time BBC News has been overtaken by GB News for an entire month and comes just after the start-up broadcaster celebrated its fourth birthday.
The figures have come from the television industry’s BARB ratings, which track total share and average views.
They show that GB News pulled in an average audience of 80,600 across each day in July.
This compares to BBC News which had 78,700 viewers in the same month and Sky News with 67,000.
GB News also came out on top during the breakfast show and primetime weekday evenings from 6pm to 11pm, as well as during the Sunday morning political slot.
The Camilla Tominey Show, which runs from 9.30am to 11am on Sundays, secured an average of 123,900 views.
GB News has overtaken the BBC for the first time to become Britain’s number one TV news channel. Pictured: Nigel Farage on the channel
New figures show that GB News beat both the Beeb and Sky News during key slots in July. Pictured: Jacob Rees-Mogg
This was 21 per cent higher than the equivalent programme on the BCC which had an average of 102,780 viewers.
Ben Briscoe, GB News’ Head of Programming, commented: ‘This is a seismic moment, not just for us, but for British broadcasting.
‘We are ending the dominance of the BBC News Channel and Sky News.
‘And there’s more to come. Starting in September, GB News will expand its programming with the launch of a brand new show from Washington DC, taking our coverage to an even wider audience.’
GB News was launched in 2021 and has rapidly grown into a major player in the UK media landscape.
It was the first new entrant into the UK’s media sector in more than three decades, and has also expanded to become a national radio network.
The TV channel’s success also comes as increasing numbers of Brits switch from watching live TV to streaming.
Figures released by the watchdog Ofcom this week revealed that people are spending four per cent less time watching broadcast TV in 2024 than in 2023.
However, GB News’s surging viewing figures come amid a series of disputes the channel is locked in with Ofcom.
Last year, GB News was handed a £100,000 fine for breaching impartiality rules in a programme featuring Rishi Sunak.
It followed an appearance by Mr Sunak on a February 12 broadcast called People’s Forum: The Prime Minister, where he was asked questions by a studio audience.
Michelle Dewberry is seen presenting a show on GB News
An earlier investigation by Ofcom found that ‘an appropriately wide range of significant viewpoints was not presented and given due weight’.
Meanwhile in February, GB News won a High Court battle against Ofcom after it ruled the channel had breached impartiality rules in a programme presented by Jacob Rees-Mogg.
The judge ruled that the initial decisions which were made in May and June 2023 were unlawful.
Furthermore in 2023, GB News received 7,300 complaints and launched an internal investigation after former host Laurence Fox made a series of remarks about a female journalist.
The actor-turned-activist apologised for a ‘demeaning’ sexist rant about political correspondent Ms Evans, which included him asking ‘who would want to sh*g that?.
Fox said he was angry with Ms Evans over comments she made on a BBC debate around male suicide and alleged she had a ‘dislike of men in general’, but apologised for ‘demeaning her’.
Addressing the situation in a video posted to X, he said: ‘If I was going to be sensible and I could replay it, I would say: ‘Any self-respecting man in 2023 would probably be well advised to avoid a woman who possessed that worldview because she would probably cause him nothing but harm’.
‘But what I did say was, you know, ‘I wouldn’t shag that’, and all that sort of stuff, which is not right. It’s demeaning to her, to Ava, so I’m sorry for demeaning you in that way.
‘However angry I am with you still for doing that, and it demeans me because it’s not representative of who I am.’
