GB News overtakes BBC for the first time
New figures from official ratings agency Barb show GB News beat both BBC News and Sky News during key time slots in July, in a major coup for the start-up broadcaster just after its fourth birthday.
The latest data show GB News pulled in an average audience of 80,600 across each day in July. That was ahead of BBC News on 78,700 and 67,000 for Sky News.
GB News also triumphed during the breakfast show and primetime weekday evenings, as well as during the Sunday morning political slot, which is hosted by Telegraph associate editor Camilla Tominey.
Ben Briscoe, head of programming at GB News, said: '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.'
Bosses said the channel will build on its success as it prepares to launch a new US show from Washington DC in September. The broadcaster's website is already the fastest-growing news platform in the US.
Mick Booker, GB News editorial director, said: 'We're now firmly on track to achieve our ambition of becoming the UK's biggest news channel by 2028.
'GB News is winning because it is different, and because we place the community at the heart of everything we do. We focus on the stories that matter most to our audience and, as a result, our bold, fearless journalism is reaching more people than ever.'
Fresh boost
The rise of GB News comes against the backdrop of a declining market for traditional broadcast TV, as viewers increasingly switch to streaming.
Figures released by Ofcom this week showed Britons spent 4pc less time watching broadcast TV in 2024 compared to the previous year.
Nevertheless, the numbers will provide a fresh boost to GB News after the channel overtook Sky for the first time late last year – as viewers flocked to the channel for coverage of the farming protests.
Surging viewing figures at GB News come even as the channel is locked in a bitter dispute with Ofcom over its use of politicians as presenters.
GB News secured a major victory in the High Court earlier this year after a judge ruled the regulator was wrong to accuse Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg of breaching impartiality rules in two episodes of his show.
The court quashed the verdicts and Ofcom subsequently dropped three further breach rulings. The legal tussle contributed to a surge in costs at the regulator, which spent £4.6m on external advisers last year.
However, the row has been re-ignited after Ofcom outlined plans to further tighten rules around the use of politicians as presenters.
Under its latest proposals, politicians would be blocked from presenting news segments, though they would still be allowed to helm current affairs shows.
GB News has hit back against the plans, branding them 'irrational' and an 'unjustified interference with freedom of expression'.
Despite its popularity with viewers, GB News is still struggling to achieve financial success as it battles an ongoing advertiser boycott.
Even before its launch, GB News was targeted by campaign groups such as Stop Funding Hate – prompting brands including Ikea and Nivea to pull their campaigns.
While some advertisers including Marks & Spencer have since returned to the channel, the boycott continues to hurt the company's bottom line. GB News has launched a paywall on its website in an effort to boost revenues from subscribers.
GB News has lost more than £100m since its launch in 2021. Its owners – the hedge fund tycoon Sir Paul Marshall and Dubai investment firm Legatum – pumped a further £34m into the channel last year.
In a speech earlier this year, Sir Paul accused Ofcom of unfairly targeting the broadcaster due to an 'onslaught' of complaints from pressure groups.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
BP plots further cost cuts as boss intensifies profitability push
BP could sell off more assets in a fresh costs review, as the energy giant continues its push to improve profitability. Chief executive Murray Auchincloss, who earlier this year announced plans to sell $20billion of assets by 2027, said BP would 'conduct a thorough review' of its portfolio to maximise shareholder value. It came as BP told shareholders its second quarter profits smashed expectations with adjusted net income of $2.4billion, down 14 per cent year-on-year but well ahead of the $1.8billion forecast by analysts. BP is under pressure to boost profitability and investor returns after a protracted period of share price underperformance, which has sparked rumours rival Shell could launch an opportunistic takeover bid. The group, which is re-embracing fossil fuels in an effort to revive underperforming shares after a renewables push, told investors on Monday it has made its largest oil and gas discovery in 25 years in Brazil's Santos basin. Auchincloss said BP has brought five new oil and gas major projects onstream, sanctioned four more and made 10 exploration discoveries so far this year. BP has also achieved $1.7billion of its goal of cutting $4billion to $5billion in costs from 2023 levels by the end of 2027. It has made $3billion in divestments out of its $3billion to $4billion target for 2023. Auchincloss said: 'We will conduct a thorough review of our portfolio of businesses to ensure we are maximizing shareholder value moving forward - allocating capital effectively. We are also initiating a further cost review. 'BP can and will do better for its investors.' BP's second quarter performance was driven by a 33 per cent profit increase in its customers and products business, thanks to strong oil trading results, higher volumes and strong growth within its Castrol lubricants unit - which it also plans to sell. The group on Tuesday also lifted its quarterly dividend to 8.32 cents from 8 cents in the first quarter, and kept the pace of its share buyback programme. It plans to buy back an additional $750million worth of shares by the time of its third-quarter results. Auchincloss said: 'We remain fully focused on delivering safely and reliably, investing with discipline and driving performance improvement - all in service of growing cash flow, returns and long-term shareholder value.' BP shares were up 1.4 per cent to 411.55p in early trading, bringing 2025 gains to 2.5 per cent. Lale Akoner, global market analyst at eToro, said: 'Overall, we think that this quarter is a sign of regained discipline and strategic clarity. 'After years of mixed signals, BP is now showing it can balance near-term performance with long-term potential. 'The focus on execution, capital discipline, and shareholder returns is paying off. If it can keep this up, sentiment around the stock and the story could shift meaningfully.'
The Sun
4 minutes ago
- The Sun
The hassle-free way to instantly save money on your mobile bill WITHOUT changing provider – or bag freebies by switching
MOBILE network price hikes sting us all, year in year out - and trying to negotiate a new deal is a major pain. But there hidden ways to easily stay with your provider for cheaper or switch to bag a load of freebies worth £100s. 2 2 I've been through several networks over the years and switching has become a lot easier. For the very best value for money, I would always encourage anyone to change provider routinely. This is also how you can claim some extra freebies as well that go beyond your phone network service. Here, I reveal three options to cut your mobile bills. #1 STAY AND SAVE You might be happy with the actual service you're currently receiving and therefore reluctant to go elsewhere, with excellent 5G around the areas that matter most, like home and work. Less tech-confident users are simply put off because they're afraid of losing their number. It is possible to transfer your number to another provider but if you're not sure, this might be the option for you to save. Firstly, the most important thing to check is whether you're out of contract. If you're unsure, the easiest way to find out is by texting INFO to 85075 - it's a free number. Your network should ping you back with the information you need. Brits will always have mobile phone & internet signal at home after tech breakthrough that beats Elon Musk's Starlink If you are out of contract, you're good to go. Now, the last thing your provider wants is for you to leave and go somewhere else. Years ago, this used to be a massive headache, requiring you to ring up for a PAC code to transfer your number elsewhere. It inevitably led to waiting in queues and then having to navigate conversations with telesales reps desperate to prevent you from leaving. Since 2019, you've been able to cut that out and text to request it instantly by messaging the word PAC to 65075. Now, if you're out of contract and request the PAC code, this may well trigger your provider to ping you back with an offer to stay. Requesting the code won't make any changes to your service or account until you've handed that code over to a new provider, so there's no harm in trying it out today. #2 SWITCH TO SAVE - BUT KEEP THE SAME SIGNAL If there's not a good offer available with your provider, you may well have to switch. As mentioned before, you might be reluctant to do this if you get a good service. However, there are ways to switch while actually having the same network signal. There are three main network providers in the UK that own and run the masts. These are EE, O2 and VodafoneThree (the latter recently merged to form the UK's biggest mobile network). All the other networks just piggyback off one of these three using their masts. Often, these networks are a lot cheaper too. For example, Lyca Mobile piggybacks off EE. So if you're an EE customer and want to switch but keep the same network, you could try Lyca Mobile. It's important to note that these sorts of alternative networks can be subject to something called "throttling", where data speeds can be slightly lower, so it's worth checking before signing up - but it will run off exactly the same signal as your old provider. Here are some of the mobile providers piggybacking off the UK's main networks so you have an idea of who you could switch to. EE: 1pMobile Boshhh CMLink Ecotalk IQ Mobile Lyca Mobile Mozillion Now Mobile Popit Mobile Slice Mobile Spusu Talk Home Utility Warehouse Your Co-op O2: Giffgaff Sky Mobile Tesco Mobile Vodafone: Asda Mobile Lebara Talkmobile VOXI Three: Honest Mobile iD Mobile Smarty Superdrug Mobile Image credit: Getty #3 SWITCH, SAVE AND BAG FREEBIES As I mentioned earlier, switching entirely is usually the very cheapest option. And not only that, you can get some free extra perks along the way too. These often get forgotten when working out what's worthwhile. So, if you were to switch to O2 you would get a choice of O2 Extras. You get to pick one, including Disney+ or Amazon Prime for six months, or an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate pass. A Prime subscription alone would cost you more than £53 for the six months over that time. You can also add Prime onto your O2 bill for a £2 discount going forward as well. Other networks have similar offers. In my case, I recently switched to Vodafone. They offered me Amazon Prime for £1 for three months, as well as Disney+ for free for three months. I've since been offered YouTube Premium (worth £12.99 a month) free for two months. As well as free food from Sainbury's and drinks from Costa Coffee. So if switching is an option for you, take it. Remember, you can text PAC to 65075 to keep your existing number.
Powys County Times
7 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Diageo eyes £625m in cost savings after profits tumble
Guinness maker Diageo is to extend cost saving plans after revealing a slump in profits following a 'challenging year' which saw its former boss leave. It came as the group, which also makes Johnnie Walker whisky and Gordon's gin, saw net sales edge marginally lower amid weaker consumer demand for some spirits as younger people continue to moderate drinking habits. The London-listed spirits giant said it is seeking to secure £625 million in cost savings, increasing from a previous target of £500 million savings. Nik Jhangiani, interim boss of the firm, said the savings plan is 'not about job cuts' but added that 'there will be some' as a result. He stressed that the group could still increase its overall workforce. Diageo said it expects to secure these savings over the next three years from advertising and promotion efficiencies, reduced overheads and supply chain improvements. The increased savings plans come amid a period of upheaval at the group after the departure of its previous boss last month. Debra Crew stepped down as chief executive with 'immediate effect' and by 'mutual agreement', following a recent decline in Diageo's share value. Tariffs, cautious consumer demand and increased cost pressures have weighed down businesses across the drinks industry. On Tuesday, Diageo reported that net sales dipped 0.1% to 20.2 billion US dollars for the year, although organic sales grew by 1.7%. It said the drop in net sales was driven by unfavourable currency rates and changes to its brand portfolio. In Europe, Diageo reported that net sales were up 0.4%, with a 6.7% rise in Great Britain, despite a decline in the volume of sales. It said stronger sales in Britain were driven by the continued strong demand for Guinness, although this was held back by 'supply constraints' which saw some pubs run short of the Irish stout earlier this year. The firm revealed that operating profits fell 27.8% to 4.33 billion dollars (£3.3 billion) in the year to June 30. Mr Jhangiani said: 'While macroeconomic uncertainty and the resulting pressure on consumers continues to weigh on the spirits sector, we believe in the attractive long-term fundamentals of our industry and in our ability to continue to outperform as the TBA (total beverage alcohol) landscape evolves. 'We are focused on what we can manage and control and executing at pace. 'The board and management are committed to delivering improved financial performance and stronger shareholder returns on a sustained basis.'
