Update 19 August: GB News has announced its presenter Ben Leo is relocating to Washington DC to be part of its new US line-up.
Leo currently co-presents Britain’s Newsroom on Friday mornings and Ben Leo Tonight every Saturday and Sunday night.
From September Bev Turner will present The Late Show Live from DC from midnight to 2am UK time on Mondays to Thursdays, with Leo taking the reins on Fridays to Sundays. Leo will also contribute original reporting during the week.
GB News head of programming Ben Briscoe said: “Ben is a rising star, and a journalist who stands out in an increasingly crowded field. With his tenacity, intelligence, and unwavering commitment to telling the stories that matter, Ben is fast becoming a defining voice of his generation, and a key figure in the future of GB News. We’re thrilled he’ll be at the heart of this historic new chapter in Washington DC.”
Original story 30 June: GB News is launching a bureau in Washington DC and hiring its first US political editor.
The four-year-old UK broadcaster said it will begin to broadcast two hours of daily live programming from a new studio near the White House in September, hosted by presenter Bev Turner.
It promised exclusives, interviews, in-depth analysis of Donald Trump’s presidency and stories from across the US.
The broadcaster also said it will soon announce its first dedicated US political editor.
GB News already has a dedicated GB News America section on its website and a US correspondent, Steven Edginton, who started in the role in April 2024. He told Press Gazette last summer he viewed the broadcaster’s role as being “an outsider” and “a disruptor” more than having a particular political bent.
He also said the US part of the business was already profitable, albeit with a low cost base.
GB News said today it had an opportunity to be “the voice of the British people in the centre of global politics” days after the BBC announced it would charge users in the US for content via a dynamic paywall.
Editorial director Michael Booker said: “This is a huge moment for GB News as we grow our presence and deliver more of the fearless journalism that defines us.
“The world’s biggest political story is playing out in Washington, and its impact is being felt daily in towns and cities across Britain. More than ever before, what happens in the USA is having huge consequences, both socially and economically, for the people of Britain…
“While others scale back on live free coverage, GB News is investing in our content. Our new Washington investment, our expanded programming, and our brilliant on-the-ground team will ensure we’re not just reporting on the story but that we’re right at the heart of it.”
Around 10% of traffic to GBNews.com comes from the US according to Similarweb. The website had 34.64 million visits worldwide in May.
GB News said its monthly US users have grown from just over half a million on average in 2023 to almost 2.6 million, also citing Similarweb data. However it does not yet rank in Press Gazette’s monthly ranking of the top 50 news websites in the US.
GB News also said it has had 250 million views on its Youtube channel from America, making up 12% of the 2.2 billion total.
Turner said: “We will fulfil the need for a British voice with an international perspective to help our viewers get a sense of who’s really on their side…
“Our highly engaged British audience understands how events in the US are directly impacting government policy and living standards here. We have a job to do: bridging the gap between British and American politics in the fearless style that typifies GB News.
“We will include the very best guests that Washington has to offer, alongside quintessentially British voices in an unparalleled assessment of events on both sides of the Atlantic. This isn’t just a media experiment. This is a market intervention. And I look forward to leading it from the front.”
The post GB News to broadcast nightly from US in ‘huge moment’ for channel appeared first on Press Gazette.
