GB News will launch ‘in weeks’: Andrew Neil’s news channel to go to air after recruiting raft of seasoned journalists including Alastair Stewart and Simon McCoy
- The news channel, which will challenge the BBC, will be headed by Andrew Neil
- A range of news-industry heavy-weights such as McCoy and Stewart have joined
- Insiders have said GB News will be available on Freeview channel 236 by May 31
The new challenger to the BBC – GB News – is set to launch at the end of the month, insiders have said.
According to sources already working there, the brand new British 24-hour news channel will begin broadcasting showreels from presenters on May 27 and will go live four days later on May 31.
It is backed by American broadcaster Discovery and will be headed up by news veteran Andrew Neil, who is known for his challenging interview style.
It further boasts a line up of some of British journalism’s best known faces including ex-ITV News anchor Alastair Stewart and BBC presenter Simon McCoy.
GB News, which is set to launch at the end of the month will be headed up by veteran broadcaster Andrew Neil
The website for GB news features it’s log and a brief message stating only that ‘GB News is coming soon’
Other notable presenters include Mail Online columnist Dan Wooton, Times Radio journalist Gloria De Piero and Sky News’s Colin Brazier.
Brazier said of the channel: ‘Sometimes watching the existing news offerings can feel like being in the audience for an extended sociology lecture – and I don’t think this will.’
GB News has denied that the launch date is set in stone.
A spokesperson said: ‘The only confirmed dates are related to technical launches.
‘No date has been decided for the launch of live programming. That decision will not be made for some time, possibly weeks.’
News industry heavyweights including Simon McCoy (l) and Alastair Stewart (r) will join the brand new channel
News UK owner Rupert Murdoch had plans last year to launch a channel of his own, which would have been of similar content as a challenger to the left-leaning news coverage offered by the BBC, but has since decided it was not ‘commercially viable’.
The news channel has poached a range of other star journalists and news industry heavyweights from press and TV across the political spectrum.
The channel will have an on-demand streaming service available on Sky, Virgin Media, Youview and Freesat and will air on Freeview channel 236.