GB News chairman Andrew Neil has admitted that the channel got off to "a bit of a rocky start" but has hailed the service's encouraging early ratings figures.
The new station launched on June 13 with a lineup of discussion-led programmes rather than rolling news, as well as a commitment to reporting of local issues around the UK.
In its first fortnight GB News has been beset by technical problems but appears to have found a dedicated audience, even beating Sky News in the peaktime ratings during its first full week on air.
Talking at the end of his show tonight, Neil said: "Yes we had a bit of a rocky start with the launch of GB News - we're a start-up. They're always a bit rocky, these start-ups.
"But we are up and running as you can see. We get better every day and there's clearly an appetite for what we are doing.
"In under two short weeks, we've already built a loyal audience which has beaten all of our expectations. It's often bigger than the other news channels and it's growing.
"That's the real story about GB News to date - and you won't often read that in the papers.
"So on behalf of GB News, I say to all of our viewers: thank you. Thank you. Your support makes all of our hard work worthwhile. We won't let you down and you ain't seen nothing yet!"
GB News is available nationwide through all major TV providers and also plans to launch a live stream via YouTube in the coming weeks.
Neil Wilkes
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