GB News overtook Sky News for live TV viewing across one month for the first time in November, according to data from broadcast audience body BARB.
GB News averaged 70,430 live viewers across the month looking at the 20-hour period from 6am and 2am compared to an average audience of 67,670 at Sky News.
A year earlier, in November 2023, GB News had been on 46,490 average live views compared to Sky News on 68,500.
GB News said its highlight of the month had been coverage of the farmers’ inheritance tax protest when tractors took over the streets of London on 19 November. The broadcaster said it recorded 90,000 average live views that day between 6am and 2am after dedicating much of its coverage to the story, including through presenters travelling to the capital with some of the farmers.
The following day, when Ukraine launched UK-supplied missiles at targets inside Russia for the first time and GB News also had an exclusive interview with Donald Trump’s son Eric, the broadcaster reached an average of 83,000 live views for the day – according to BARB.
GB News has set itself a goal to become Britain’s biggest news channel by 2028.
Editorial director Mick Booker said: “GB News isn’t just a broadcaster. It’s a community that is getting bigger every day.
“People trust us to tell their stories, and the day-to-day story of Britain, openly and honestly with free and respectful speech. We will work hard to keep that trust and keep building our community.”
More than 10,000 people had signed up as paying members of GB News by the start of August.
GB News has also had recent milestones with its radio simulcast version, overtaking Talkradio’s weekly reach in the latest RAJAR data for Q3 2024 and Times Radio in Q2.
Online, GB News had a UK audience of nine million in September versus 16.3 million for Sky News.
The more established broadcaster is also putting an increased focus on measuring its audience across streaming and video on-demand combined with TV. Press Gazette understands this gave Sky News a monthly reach of 8.05 million in November with an average daily reach of 1.63 million (and 1.78 million between 6am and 2am on 19 November).
GB News is currently embroiled in a legal battle with broadcast regulator Ofcom which has fined it £100,000 for “serious and repeated” impartiality breaches. However the broadcaster has been allowed by a High Court judge to challenge Ofcom’s latest finding against it in relation to a Q&A programme with then-PM Rishi Sunak.
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