AUDIENCE figures show GB News attracted no viewers during some broadcasts this week after a boycott due to a presenter taking the knee on air.

Host Guto Harri performed the anti-racism gesture on Tuesday in solidarity with players from the England football team who received racial abuse online following their loss in the Euro 2020 final.

The decision to perform the gesture caused bosses at the channel to issue a statement yesterday saying the gesture was an "unacceptable breach" of their standards.

It is unclear whether Harri, a former spokesperson for Boris Johnson during his time as London mayor, is still with GB News after the incident.

READ MORE: GB News denounces presenter for taking the knee live on air

Analysis by the Guardian of audience viewing figures from rating agency Barb has shown that showed that GB News received no measurable audience on two separate occasions the day after Harri took the knee.

Analysis showed that during business editor Liam Halligan and former Labour MP Gloria De Piero's show on Wednesday afternoon there was no measurable audience. During the same time, BBC News had 62,000 people watching and Sky News attracted 50,000 viewers.

The audience then dipped to zero again at 5pm during a programme hosted by former BBC presenter Simon McCoy and former Ukip spokesperson Alex Phillips. 

Viewing figures eventually recovered later that night, with a peak of 47,000 during Dan Wooton's late-night show.

The rating figures are calculated by Barb based on monitoring boxes attached to thousands of homes along with data for online TV viewing.

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Harri's decision was defended by fellow presenter Neil Oliver on Tuesday who tweeted: "My @GBNEWS  teammate @Guto_Harri  is right to say and do as he sees fit. I do the same. That’s the ethos of the channel. Free speech. We don’t all agree with each other - that’s the point, or else where’s the debate?"

However, many of the channel's viewers signalled they would not be watching GB News with the channel itself releasing a seemingly statement last night.

It said: "GB News stands four square against racism in all its forms. We do not have a company line on taking the knee. Some of our guests have been in favour, some against. All are anti-racist. We have editorial standards that all GB News journalists uphold.

"On Tuesday a contributing presenter took the knee live on air and this was an unacceptable breach of our standards.

They later added: "We let both sides of the argument down by oversimplifying a very complex issue."

READ MORE: Andrew Neil to take a break from GB News after just two weeks of presenting

The statement appeared to have an effect, with many in the replies to the tweet signalling that their boycott of the channel would end and saying they would now give GB News a "second chance".

Others pointed out that the statement contradicted itself and seemed contrary to the channel's free speech ethos. 

One Chris Moore replied to the statement on Twitter, saying: "On the face of that, I’m disappointed.

"If GB News wants to be known as a channel which gives all shades of opinion and politics, then you should have let it go. Otherwise it turns into an echo-chamber for people with one point of view."