GB News to launch 24 hour channel within weeks

<p>Andrew Neil is leading the news channel</p>

Andrew Neil is leading the news channel

GB News will launch its TV channel within the next few weeks.

TV platforms are preparing for the 24-hour news channel to go live on May 31st, The Telegraph reported.

However, GB News told The Telegraph that the timing of the launch had not been decided.

"The only confirmed dates are related to technical launches," a GB News spokeswoman said.

"No date has been decided for the launch of live programming. That decision will not be made for some time, possibly weeks."

The channel is being led by former BBC presenter Andrew Neil.

It will feature more than 6,500 hours of content a year, made exclusively for the channel.

It has been founded by media executives Andrew Cole and Mark Schneider.

The channel says it expects to reach 96% of British television households via Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, YouView and Freesat. It will also have streaming, video-on-demand and audio services.

So far the channel has made a number of high profile signings from other media outlets.

Journalist Darren McCaffrey has been appointed political editor and presenter at GB News.

McCaffrey, who will join from Euronews where he covers EU politics and presents the Raw Politics show, will head up the new network’s political reporting line-up.

He started his career in his native Northern Ireland before spending 10 years at Sky News, covering three general elections and the Brexit vote.

He will be joined by Tom Harwood, who leaves politics website Guido Fawkes where he works as a senior reporter.

Originally from Cambridge, Harwood has written for The Spectator and Daily Telegraph among other publications.

Another big name is Dan Wootton, former executive editor at The Sun.

Dubai-based investment group Legatum and one of the UK’s most prominent hedge fund managers, Sir Paul Marshall, have added their names alongside US broadcasting giant Discovery Inc.

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