According to Barb figures, News 24 beat Sky two weeks out of four in January.
In the first week, BBC News 24 had 5.15m viewers for at least 15 minutes to Sky News' 5.12m, and in the fourth week 3.73m viewers tuned in compared with Sky News' 3.71m. The BBC was also ahead of Sky at the end of December.
BBC News 24 was relaunched in November, still targeting the ABC1, 35-plus age group and given a flashier set and other presentational changes as well as a more consciously "broadsheet" direction, with extended coverage of regional UK news and international stories.
The relaunch followed a government report, written by former Financial Times editor Richard Lambert. Lambert said that the BBC service should take on Sky News and make sure that it is the first on air with breaking news. He also said that it should rely less on other BBC services.
The channel has gained credibility in the last month or so with greater exposure on terrestrial networks. BBC One and BBC Two both routinely switch to News 24 during important breaking stories, such as the Hutton aftermath last week.
The service was the first to report on the resignation of its own director-general Greg Dyke and broadcast pictures of him in his own newsroom being feted by journalists and when he bid farewell to staff last Thursday.
ITV1's new 10.30pm news bulletin got off to a good start with 4.4m viewers, the same as its nearest rival, BBC One's 'Ten o'Clock News'.
Industry insiders claim that although News 24 still has a way to go to beat Sky in terms of credibility, it is making a good start.
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