Ofcom has issued 14 formal breach findings against GB News in the 18 months to September 2026, according to Exposed News analysis of the regulator’s published adjudications. The figure is the highest recorded against any UK broadcaster in any comparable period since commercial television broadcasting began in 1955, and has prompted Ofcom to open a preliminary review of the channel’s compliance with its Broadcasting Code licence conditions.
The breaches cover a range of categories: six relate to due impartiality in news and current affairs coverage, four to accuracy requirements, two to the separation of news and opinion, one to election-period restrictions, and one to the requirements around personal privacy. Ofcom declined to confirm whether a formal licence review — which could result in a financial penalty, a suspension, or a licence revocation — had been initiated, citing “ongoing regulatory processes.”
The Scale in Context
For comparison: ITV received three breach findings in the same 18-month period; Channel 4 received one; the BBC received two. Sky News, which operates under equivalent Ofcom licensing, received zero. The volume of GB News findings is proportionally higher even when adjusted for the channel’s much smaller audience share — approximately 1.8% of daily television viewing against ITV’s 20.4%.
Media lawyers contacted by Exposed News noted that Ofcom’s enforcement powers allow it to impose fines of up to 5% of qualifying revenue for repeated or serious breaches. GB News’s annual revenue is estimated at £40 to £50 million, meaning maximum exposure on current revenue is approximately £2 to £2.5 million per separate proceeding. The lawyers noted, however, that Ofcom had “historically been reluctant” to use its upper sanction range against broadcast news services.
Editorial Leadership
GB News has had three editors-in-chief in the 18-month period covered by the breaches. The current holder of the role, appointed in June 2026, told the Media Select Committee in September that the channel was “committed to compliance” and had restructured its editorial compliance function. He declined to say whether any of the 14 breaches had resulted in internal disciplinary action.