GB News said that it was “closely” monitoring Elon Musk’s lawsuit against advertisers as a sign that it was preparing to file a lawsuit against brands who suspend advertising.
Musk has threatened legal action after revealing on Tuesday that X (formerly known as Twitter) declared “war” against a global coalition advertisers and brands for claiming they had illegally boycotted the social media platform.
Rumble, another YouTube competitor that is popular among conservative online users and claims to be “immune” to the cancel culture, has filed a similar suit.
The legal action prompted an immediate response by GB News. It has been battling a campaign of boycotts by scores who have refused to advertise in the channel.
A spokesman from the TV broadcaster stated: “GB News takes note of the antitrust action initiated by media companies X & Rumble against advertising industry. We will closely monitor its progress.”
GB News launched in 2003 as a rival to traditional broadcasters like the BBC and Sky.
Brands such as Ikea, Nivea and others have suspended their ads from the channel for fear of being linked to controversial content.
GB News could be fined by the regulator Ofcom for breaking a number of broadcasting regulations, including impartiality, and using politicians as presenters. Reform’s Nigel Farage is one of them.
The ad-bosst is thought to have had a major impact on GB News’ finances, as its losses last year grew to over £42m.
Since then, the start-up broadcaster was forced to reduce its staff while looking for new revenue sources from live events as well as a paid membership program.
GB News is owned by All Perspectives, a holding company jointly owned by billionaire Sir Paul Marshall, a Dubai-based hedgefund, and Legatum.
In the last year, the amount owed by GB News to its parent company has almost doubled.
The legal action taken by Mr Musk highlights the escalation in tensions between media outlets and advertising agencies that place a high value on freedom of speech.
Linda Yaccarino said that the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, whose members included consumer goods giants Unilever, and Mars, has cost the company billions of dollars.
X and Rumble seek unspecified damages after allegedly violating US Anti-trust Law.
The lawsuit filed in Texas names as defendants the World Federation of Advertisers, which launched the Garm campaign, and the UK advertising giant WPP.
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