GB News Channel

It’s audience is very undesirable for advertisers, that’s going to be the long term issue in addition to not having a big owner behind it.

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Sorry, only just seen this - another issue is that a lot of advertisers just won’t buy spots on there, which is something that Angelos Frangopoulos himself recently lamented:

Its advertising buyers are also low-end. it’s hard to make money with a lack of advertisers and low-end advertisers.

Yes, the issue was that a lot of what you might call ‘high-end’ advertisers chose not to advertise on there, and those that did quickly withdrew their spots after finding out about the channel’s content (or reading the negative tweets, depending on how you look at it). As such they’ve been ‘lumbered’ with advertisers from the ‘lower rungs’.

Their audience demographics also aren’t very attractive either which is a massive issue.

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yep same problem the WWE had during the big boom in the 90’s / early 2000’s = was pulling massive ratings on cable but the audience was seen as lowbrow and not desirable so most of the spots (at least on WCW when it was on fire in the 1997 / 1998 period) were all comps - ie buy adverts on this show and we will give you wcw free

Still alive!

somehow, some way

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Possibly not for too much longer, if the Guardian is to be believed:

Both [TalkTV and GB News] are reportedly currently financially unsustainable, with questions over their long-term future. GB News secured funding from a range of overseas investors for its first three years, but one major shareholder, US media company Discovery, is now understood to be looking to exit.

As a result, the company needs new shareholders willing to suck up the cost of running a loss-making, ad-funded channel with a recession looming. Sources at GB News said both its HR director and commercial director have left in recent weeks.

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Discovery have upped sticks and divested, but GB News itself lives to fight another day:

Warner Bros. Discovery’s shareholding has been bought out by [GB News co-owners Paul] Marshall and Legatum, which Legatum Chair Alan McCormick said is “testament to our confidence in the momentum and trajectory of GB News after a very strong first year.”

I can’t see them lasting that long with investors like that and loss making channel with lack of advertisers. Murdoch might pounce and basically shutter it or wait for it to collapse.

So is this the beginning of the end? Or will we see a shift in how the channel operates?

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I think it’s the beginning of the end, if they can’t make money and just rely on investors with not much at stake it isn’t long for the world. Especially with Rupert circling.

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This is interesting:

“We have some other business activities we haven’t announced yet that will supplement that and in time be a compelling part of the business.”

In the run up to their launch, there was talk of there being a subscription service offering extra content alongside the TV channel. Wonder if that is what he is alluding to?

Our YouTube site has more subscribers than rivals who have been on the scene for over a decade.

Taking the Sky News Australia approach?

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Wonder if Angelos will be forced to apologise? Not the first time a network run by him has interviewed neo-Nazis…

On another note, a new schedule is being introduced, and this caught my eye:

Journalist and former Labour politician Gloria De Piero will team up with former Sky News presenter Mark Longhurst to co-present a new weekday show, GB Newsday.

‘Newsday’ - wonder where I’ve heard that before? :crazy_face:

More cuts being made personnel wise.

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Former Brexit party MEP Alexandra Phillips has meanwhile left the channel, as per two sources

This is interesting - she was considered the star of the channel less than a year ago, and was alleged to have received preferential treatment from Angelos himself.

Mr S hears whispers that respected veteran Colin Brazier could also be on the way out.

And this also surprises me. I believe Brazier’s show is quite popular - it was he who stood in for Andrew Neil for so many months when Neil took his permanent summer holiday last year.

Brazier had 15k last night, Dews & Co immediately following had 58k, to be fair his lead-in had 8k.