GB News has become the most-watched TV news channel in Britain for the first time in July 2025, according to official data from BARB, the main TV ratings agency.
July 2025 TV Ratings: Average Daily Viewers
- GB News: about 80,600 viewers per day
- BBC News Channel: about 78,700 viewers per day
- Sky News: about 67,000 viewers per day
Key Time Slot Performance
- For breakfast shows (6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.), GB News averaged about 98,900 viewers. Sky News had about 71,500, and the BBC News Channel had about 41,200. (Most people watch BBC Breakfast on BBC One, not on the BBC News Channel.)
- In weekday primetime (6 p.m. to 11 p.m.), GB News had about 102,700 viewers, ahead of the BBC News Channel at about 91,800 and Sky News at about 75,500.
- On Sunday mornings, the political show with Camilla Tominey had about 123,900 viewers on GB News, while the BBC News Channel had about 102,800, and Sky News had about 79,000. (The BBC’s main Sunday political show airs on BBC One.)
Statements from GB News
Ben Briscoe, the Head of Programming, said: “This is a big moment for us and for British broadcasting. We are ending the dominance of the BBC News Channel and Sky News.”
Mick Booker, Editorial Director, said: “We are now on track to become the UK’s biggest news channel by 2028.”
Strategic Context
GB News launched in June 2021. It overtook Sky News by late 2024 and now, as of July 2025, it has more live viewers than both Sky News and the BBC News Channel.
(Source: Press Gazette, Guido Fawkes)
The channel is planning to launch a new show from Washington, DC, in September, aiming to reach a bigger international audience. Its website is already one of the fastest-growing news sites in the US.
(Source: The Telegraph, Press Gazette)
Broader Media Landscape
Traditional broadcast TV viewing dropped by 4% in 2024 as more people switched to streaming services like BBC iPlayer and YouTube.
(Source: Press Gazette, The Telegraph, Reddit)
BARB, the UK’s main TV ratings agency, does not count people watching on-demand (such as BBC iPlayer), so the BBC’s actual total reach is likely much higher than the live numbers suggest.
(Source: Press Gazette, Wikipedia)
Even though GB News now leads in average daily live viewers, the BBC News Channel still has more than twice as many total weekly viewers as GB News has in a whole month.
(Source: The Telegraph, Press Gazette, Guido Fawkes)
Financial and Regulatory Challenges
GB News is still dealing with an advertiser boycott led by groups such as Stop Funding Hate. Some brands like Ikea and Nivea have returned, but the boycott still has an impact.
(Source: The Telegraph)
The channel has lost over £100 million since it started. In 2024 alone, investors had to put in another £34 million to keep the station running.
(Source: The Telegraph)
GB News has also had disputes with the regulator Ofcom about using politicians such as Nigel Farage and Jacob Rees-Mogg as presenters. A High Court decision recently overturned a ruling against Rees-Mogg, but Ofcom is still proposing new rules to limit politicians as hosts, which is causing ongoing debate.
(Source: The Telegraph)
What This Means
This is the first time that GB News has overtaken the BBC News Channel in live daily viewing. It shows that more people are engaging with GB News, especially in key time slots.
However, the BBC still has a much bigger total audience when you count on-demand viewing.
GB News is planning to use this momentum to expand further, including into the US, but it still faces financial challenges and pressure from regulators.
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