Which major UK advertisers publicly refused to advertise on GB News and which later resumed ads?
Executive summary
A broad set of major UK advertisers publicly paused or withdrew campaigns that were running on the newly launched GB News in June 2021 — including IKEA, Kopparberg, Grolsch, Nivea, The Open University, Octopus Energy, OVO Energy, Specsavers and others named by campaign groups and the press [1] [2] [3]. A smaller group of brands later clarified they were not boycotting or resumed buying (or had their pauses reversed), most notably MoneySupermarket, IKEA, Vodafone and Bosch according to contemporaneous reporting, while campaigners continued to monitor placements and GB News said the advertiser pressure had affected its revenues [4] [5] [6] [7].
1. Who publicly refused or paused advertising — the first wave
Within 48 hours of GB News’s launch a significant list of household names had announced they were suspending or reviewing ad placements after an activist push from groups such as Stop Funding Hate and boycottgbnews.org; press reports and campaign lists named IKEA, Kopparberg, Grolsch, Nivea, The Open University, Octopus Energy, OVO Energy, Specsavers, LV and others as having paused or pulled advertising [4] [2] [3]. Journalists and industry outlets reported many of those decisions were framed as either a values-based move or a temporary pause pending review of the channel’s tone and content [1] [4].
2. Why some brands said they had been “unaware” — programmatic buys and supply chains
Several advertisers publicly explained that their creative had appeared on GB News as a result of network or programmatic buys rather than a deliberate placement, prompting statements that they would follow up with media buyers rather than mount a values-driven boycott — examples flagged in PR Week and other coverage include Grolsch, Nivea and brands that emphasised their ads were placed across a Sky Media portfolio of channels [6] [4]. That technical explanation complicated the narrative: some firms said they had “paused” while others emphasised they had not deliberately chosen GB News [6] [4].
3. Who later resumed or walked back pauses — the “row back” cohort
Within days of initial pull-outs several companies publicly softened or reversed their positions. MoneySupermarket and other firms issued clarifications or apologies for “confusion” and said they were not implementing long-term bans, while reporting at the time named MoneySupermarket, IKEA, Vodafone and Bosch among those that ended moratoria or said they would reconsider advertising plans on GB News [4] [5]. The Daily Mail and Press Gazette covered those reversals; industry commentators noted that Sky Media’s handling of ad delivery across many channels meant advertisers could re-enter campaigns once placement controls were adjusted [5] [4].
4. The campaigners, the channel’s response and lingering uncertainty
Campaign groups such as Stop Funding Hate and boycottgbnews.org actively publicised lists of brands seen on GB News and urged action, and Stop Funding Hate published ongoing advertiser lists while GB News later acknowledged the boycott was having an impact on revenue [8] [7]. GB News leadership publicly framed the advertiser backlash as politically motivated and warned of “both ways” consequences for brands, with chairman Andrew Neil challenging agencies on-air — an escalation that pressured brands to clarify positions quickly [9]. Media sellers such as Sky Media kept buying arrangements opaque publicly, and several outlets cautioned that advertiser lists were fluid as brands adjusted programmatic safeguards and media plans [4] [6].
5. What can be said with confidence — and what remains unclear
It is certain that many major brands announced pauses or suspensions in the immediate aftermath of GB News’s launch — those announcements and activist lists are documented in contemporary press reporting and campaign archives [1] [2]. It is also documented that a smaller subset of those brands subsequently said they were not boycotting or resumed placements after clarification with agencies, with MoneySupermarket, IKEA, Vodafone and Bosch widely reported as reversing moratoria [4] [5]. What cannot be fully determined from the supplied reporting is the detailed timeline and commercial mechanics for every single brand’s resumption — programmatic buys, agency decisions and confidential media contracts mean some resumptions were described in public statements while others remained ambiguous in the market reporting available [6] [4].