GB News Radio has emerged as the fastest growing network station in the country, with the latest RAJAR figures showing a 21 per cent increase in year-on-year reach which has pushed the fledgling broadcaster ahead of its closest commercial rivals.
The station, which is part of the wider GB News programme, attracted 676,000 listeners in the first quarter of 2026, well ahead of Times Radio on 604,000 and Talk on 560,000. It is a result that will sharpen the competitive temperature in the talk radio market which has seen major investment from News UK, Global and Bauer over the past five years.
GB News Radio’s 21 per cent expansion outstripped Talk’s 16 per cent increase and the 6 per cent increase recorded by LBC, the long-standing market leader in the news and talk format. Times Radio, by contrast, saw its annual contract drop by three per cent, raising fresh questions about the trajectory of the five-year-old News UK digital channel.
Listening hours on GB News Radio reached 4.35 million in the quarter, a slight improvement of 1 per cent on the same period last year but a figure the broadcaster contends underlines the depth of listener loyalty and the growing reach of the topic.
Much of the momentum has come from young demographics that commercial radio operators have struggled to capture. The channel reported a 20 percent increase among adults aged 35 to 54 this past quarter, while the male audience 35-54 was up 30 percent — a group that remains highly valued by advertisers in the talk genre.
Ben Briscoe, head of programming at GB News, said the numbers show a clear change in listening habits. “These statistics show that more and more people are turning to GB News Radio for breaking news, views and coverage of the day’s big stories,” he said. “Continued growth reflects the hard work, dedication and first-class journalism our on-air teams produce every day. Just like on TV, GB News Radio leaves its competitors far behind.”
The radio shows the strong performance of the television group. GB News was the UK’s most watched news channel on the day of the local election results, with BARB figures showing an average audience of 185,700 on Friday 8 May. That was 56 per cent ahead of Sky News, which attracted 119,000 viewers, and almost twice the BBC News Channel’s 93,200.
In April, the channel averaged 89,500 viewers and a 1.59 per cent share, trailing Sky News on 86,200 viewers and a 1.53 per cent share. Between July 2025 and April 2026, GB News averaged 90,300 viewers and a 1.47 per cent share, ahead of the BBC News Channel’s 83,900 viewers (1.37 per cent) and Sky News’ 72,000 viewers (1.18 per cent), giving the broadcaster a top ten performance in both. competitors.
In the broader field of commercial broadcasting, RAJAR’s latest data points to a talk radio market that is more diverse and contested than at any time in the past decade, and one where new entrants are setting the pace.
