GB News launched on Sunday night (Picture: GB News)
Kopparberg has suspended its advertisements on GB News, saying their brand is ‘for everyone’.
GB News, the UK’s first new news channel in 30 years, launched on Sunday night, after chairman and host Andrew Neil denied it would be a British version of Fox News.
While the channel has many fans already, others aren’t so keen, accusing GB News of ‘right wing propaganda’.
A number of Twitter accounts listed the brands that advertised on GB News in its first day, including Boots, Cadbury’s, Deliveroo, Facebook, Ikea, Kellogg’s and Nivea, and called for a boycott of the companies.
An ad for Swedish alcohol brand Kopparberg, best known for its fruit ciders, was shown during Dan Wootton’s show, and the company responded to being tagged in the boycott list by claiming they were unaware their ad was shown on GB News.
A response to a number of boycott lists read and queries as to why they were advertising with GB News read: ‘Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We want to make it clear to everyone that our ad ran on this channel without our knowledge or consent.
‘Kopparberg is a drink for everyone and we have immediately suspended our ads from this channel pending further review of its content.’
Kopparberg issued a statement (Picture: Twitter)
The statement was also tweeted in response to a person who had tweeted: ‘This list of advertisers on @GBNEWS was helpfully complied by far left extremists who wish to censor what we watch. I’m sure all my friends and followers would like to RT to show their support for these organisations who support freedom of speech and a free press.’
Kopparberg’s statement was met with mixed reactions, with some applauding the company.
One person tweeted: ‘I’m delighted to see that Kopparberg have upset so many gammons. So much so that I think theirs is the only cider I’ll drink from now on’, while another said: ‘Love the fact that the people calling out those who would boycott advertisers on GB channel are now going to boycott Kopparberg for withdrawing their ads. Irony, so much irony.’
However, others were furious with the brand, and threatened to boycott their ciders this summer in response.
One tweet read: ‘Whoever runs your twitter account needs a word in their ear. ‘Kopparberg is a drink for everyone.’ Except viewers of @GBNEWS apparently.’