Which UK advertisers still place programmatic ads on GB News as of 2025?
Executive summary
As of 2025, there is no single, authoritative public ledger of every UK advertiser running programmatic inventory on GB News; watchdog and campaign groups report a small but shifting roster of household names whose ads have appeared, while GB News itself continues to promote advertising opportunities and membership revenue [1] [2]. Independent trackers identify firms such as Jet2, The National Lottery, Sky (via Sky Media) and Trailfinders among those whose ads have been spotted, but several other brands have been reported as “seen” at various times or have said their ads appeared without a direct booking, leaving the picture partial and fluid [1] [3] [4].
1. What the trackers say: a short list of advertisers spotted in 2025
Campaign and watchdog projects that monitor ad placements list a handful of recognisable UK advertisers whose creative has run on GB News in recent months — Stop Funding Hate names Jet2, The National Lottery, Sky and Trailfinders as advertisers on GB News TV and radio [1], while boycott-oriented lists also flag the People’s Postcode Lottery, Warburtons and brands such as Weetabix as having been seen historically though their current status is often unclear [3]. These reports reflect visible ad creative and automated monitoring rather than contractual confirmations from the advertisers themselves [1] [3].
2. Why some brands keep appearing: direct buys, agency sales and programmatic ‘filler’
A key reason a small number of large brands continue to show up is that GB News runs ad inventory both via direct sales and through third-party sales houses; Sky’s advertising arm, Sky Media, is singled out by trackers as a material source of inventory and reseller relationships that bring additional campaigns to the channel, meaning Sky’s commercials and clients booked via Sky Media can appear alongside GB News programming [1] [3]. Campaigns bought broadly across TV networks can also end up on GB News as part of wide-network buys or programmatic placements described by some observers as “filler” inventory, a point advertisers themselves have previously invoked to explain unexpected appearances [3] [4].
3. Brands disputing or distancing themselves: ads appearing ‘without permission’
Press Gazette reporting from earlier years captures a recurring dynamic: some national brands have said their ads appeared on GB News without a direct intent to target the channel, telling journalists their media buys cover broad network packages and that they were “dealing” with instances of appearing on GB News [4]. That pattern — brands publicly distancing themselves while adverts are visible — complicates efforts to compile a definitive 2025 list of intentionally placed programmatic ads [4].
4. New sightings in 2025 and public reaction
In 2025 there were publicised incidents and social media outcries when prominent retailers such as Marks & Spencer were reported to have run ads that GB News viewers flagged, and a petition and protest activity drew attention to brands including Burberry whose advertising was noticed on the GB News website, illustrating that high-profile sightings continue to generate reputational pushback and activist targeting [5] [6]. These episodes feed campaign trackers’ lists but do not on their own prove a long-term commitment by those advertisers to the channel [6] [5].
5. Why a definitive answer is elusive and what is verifiable
What can be stated with confidence from available reporting is that a small set of advertisers have been observed on GB News in 2025 — specifically Jet2, The National Lottery, Sky and Trailfinders are named by Stop Funding Hate as recent advertisers — and that GB News actively markets its ad inventory while many other major brands say their ads appeared as part of broader buys or have ambiguous current status [1] [2] [3]. What cannot be robustly asserted from these sources is a complete, up-to-the-minute roster of every UK advertiser placing programmatic ads on GB News, because placement can change quickly, some brands deny targeted bookings, and public trackers assemble sightings rather than contractual data [3] [4].