Election night TV ratings | Top 50 UK news sites | Sky News' 2024 election lessons
Plus: dispatches from inside the Politico and New Statesman election night parties and your news diary for the week ahead
Welcome to your daily newsletter from Press Gazette on Monday 8 July, 2024.
It’s the Monday after the election before. And things feel rather calmer already.
If you missed it on Friday, here’s our round-up of the overnight viewing figures of the coverage of the exit poll. The BBC is unsurprisingly the winner but Channel 4 saw growth compared to the last election in 2019 that it will be very happy with. People seem to have enjoyed the at times combative panel featuring The Rest is Politics hosts Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart opposite Nadine Dorries, with Carol Vorderman arriving in the early hours to eviscerate the outgoing government.
However it’s now time for broadcasters and other media outlets to take stock of the campaign and learn what no longer works and what they need to take forward for future elections - most urgently, lessons that can be applied to the US presidential poll coming up in mere months. Here Sky News managing director and executive editor Jonathan Levy writes for us about six lessons he’s taking away - from the need to move away from quick soundbite formats to the undeniable importance of podcasts.
And now that you’ve recovered from whatever your overnight plans were, we thought you might like a glimpse into the parties being held by Politico and the New Statesman. Includes: Andrew Marr roasting The Telegraph, unlimited booze and multiple plays of D:Ream’s Things Can Only Get Better.
Finally, in non-election news, we’ve got our latest updated ranking of the 50 biggest news websites in the UK by reach - and how they’re doing on engagement too. ITV and Sky News had a particularly good May. But, remarkably, 33 out of the 50 sites ranked saw fewer minutes spent on their sites compared to May last year.
New from Press Gazette
Top 50 UK news websites in May: ITV growth sees broadcaster re-enter top ten
Metro saw the biggest year-on-year growth in reach among the top ten newsbrands but Sky News was second by that metric, as well as top of the month-on-month growth chart.
How Politico and New Statesman election parties toasted Labour’s landslide
Marr drew laughs when he read out the start of an election day comment piece in The Telegraph which was headlined: “The UK is about to enter a nightmare much darker than anyone yet realises.” Marr juxtaposed it with a Telegraph business article which said: “Traders are being urged to buy British stocks and bonds amid predictions of a crushing Labour election victory.”
Election TV ratings: BBC is clear winner but Channel 4 doubles 2019 audience
A cumulative 7.3 million people watched the 10pm coverage across BBC One, ITV, Channel 4, Sky News, GB News and the BBC News Channel on Thursday according to audience estimates by Barb.
2024 election: Sky News boss shares six lessons for media
“I believe that political podcasts are only going to increase in their influence, so watch this space for what comes next time around.”
News diary 8 – 14 July: New Parliament opens, Euros and Wimbledon finals
A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda this week, from the team at Foresight News.
News in brief
Lisa Nandy has been appointed as Culture Secretary, after Thangam Debbonaire who was shadowing the role lost her seat to Green co-leader Carla Denyer in Bristol.
New Zealand news outlet Newshub recorded its coverage of the UK general election before its 5 July closure. Its Europe correspondent said in Downing Street: "Today’s result was so predictable I was able to confidently film this weeks in advance before flying home to New Zealand.” (The Independent)
'Discussions' are expected to start taking place at GB News over whether Nigel Farage will continue as a presenter after being elected as a Reform UK MP. Jacob Rees-Mogg, who lost his seat, has said he will return to the channel. (The i)
Australia's Nine-owned Pedestrian Group is stopping licensing overseas brands to focus on its wholly owned titles. This means it is ending publication of several sites including Vice, Refinery29 and Gizmodo with up to 40 jobs to go. (The Guardian)
The Foreign Press Association has issued a statement repeating its call for "unfettered and independent access to Gaza", saying the restrictions raise "questions about what Israel doesn't want international journalists to see". (Channel 4 News’ Lindsey Hilsum)
Previously on Press Gazette
Daily Mail gracious in defeat as Fleet Street reacts to Labour landslide
Bankers allowed to sue Dow Jones under GDPR over ‘missing $1bn’ article
Fieldsports Press acquisition spree continues with four titles from David Hall Publishing
Times turns off comments on its election non-endorsement after reader backlash
Channel 4 News ‘integrity underscored’ by Ofcom decision not to investigate Reform UK actor claim
‘What if Vanity Fair and ESPN FC had a baby?’ Footballco sets out US ambitions
Latest podcast
Setting goals for US expansion with Footballco’s first North America CEO
Goal, Indivisa and Mundial publisher Footballco was reaching 30 million people in the US without having any meaningful boots on the ground.
But at the start of 2024 Jason Wagenheim arrived as its first CEO for North America, bringing lessons that sports publishing can learn from lifestyle after a long stint at Bustle Digital Group.
Wagenheim told Press Gazette UK editor Charlotte Tobitt about how he is approaching Footballco’s two-year runway ahead of the World Cup being held in the US, Canada and Mexico in 2026 as well as the value of going deeper – well beyond traditional match reporting – in an age of algorithms and generative AI.
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