GB News, a conservative channel in the UK, has marked one year as Britain’s most-watched news channel by average viewership, according to official BARB figures cited by the broadcaster.
The channel first overtook both the BBC News Channel and Sky News for a full calendar month in July 2025.
It has retained the lead on average daily audiences for successive months since, and finished 2025 ahead of Sky News on monthly averages (approximately 80,000 versus 74,000).
Later data for 2026 showed the gap widening in some months, with GB News recording average audiences more than 20 per cent higher than the BBC News Channel and more than 30 per cent higher than Sky News.
The channel still trails its rivals on total monthly reach, but has closed the gap significantly since its 2021 launch.
GB News presents the result as evidence that demand exists for a more opinionated, less establishment-oriented news service.
Critics argue that its success reflects polarisation rather than broader public trust, and that average-audience metrics can be influenced by loyal but smaller core viewership.
Commenting, GB News‘ Head of Programming Ben Briscoe, said: “These latest figures underline the fact that GB News is now Britain’s undisputed number one news channel.
“Again and again viewers have turned to GB News over the last year for breaking news, robust debate and sharp analysis of the stories shaping the nation.
“To come out as number one for 12 months in a row shows the consistency of our award-winning journalism and the trust our viewers place in GB News.
“The continued growth of GB News reflects our commitment to putting viewers first. While other broadcasters continue to lose audience share, rising numbers are choosing GB News because we focus on the issues that matter most to communities across the United Kingdom.”
In July, GB News was named News Programme Of The Year at the National Reality TV Awards.
The month before, GB News won the TRIC Award for Best News Programme for the fourth consecutive year, triumphing over BBC Breakfast, Good Morning Britain and ITV Evening News at the 2026 Television and Radio Industries Club Awards, held at Grosvenor House in London.
The rise has taken place against a backdrop of repeated regulatory attention.
Ofcom has recorded multiple breaches of the Broadcasting Code since the channel’s launch, including a £100,000 fine in 2024 over a programme featuring then-prime minister Rishi Sunak.
Further investigations have covered alleged impartiality, potentially offensive content and the rebroadcast of an interview with Donald Trump in which claims about climate change and London were left unchallenged.
Some earlier rulings concerning politicians acting as presenters were later withdrawn after a High Court challenge.
A comparable pattern has emerged in France. The conservative-leaning continuous news channel CNews has been the country’s most-watched information channel for successive seasons, recording audience shares of 3.2–3.4 per cent and finishing ahead of BFMTV and LCI.
Like GB News, it has faced institutional criticism over alleged editorial inbalance while attracting viewers who say traditional outlets no longer reflect their concerns.
