Piers Morgan is leaving the Murdoch empire to create an unproven independent brand on YouTube

0 0 2 minutes read

Piers Morgan has parted ways with Rupert Murdoch’s media empire in a bid to expand his popular Uncensored show on YouTube, ending months of speculation about his future at News UK.

The outspoken broadcaster is now going independent, having gained ownership of his Uncensored brand and its 3.6 million subscriber base.

Morgan, 59, has opted not to renew his contract with News UK, where he holds a reported £50 million deal that includes columns, book rights and a TalkTV show. His departure seemed inevitable after he quit his late-night TalkTV show—complaining it was “a hassle”—to focus on YouTube streaming. The Uncensored Channel will now be developed independently, allowing greater flexibility in planning and creating content, especially in the United States and other international markets.

Under a four-year partnership with Morgan’s Wake Up Productions, Rupert Murdoch’s company will retain a share of the advertising revenue. However, Morgan will run Uncensored without the direct supervision of News UK, while continuing to write columns for his newspapers and submitting a book to publisher HarperCollins this year.

Explaining his decision, Morgan said: “Brand ownership allows me and my team the freedom to focus exclusively on building Unverified Business into an independent, editorial and commercial business, and over time, to expand it from just me and my content.

Morgan’s guest list has seen high-profile figures such as Donald Trump, Jordan Peterson, Volodymyr Zelensky, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Uncensored debate. He mentioned that Elon Musk could join this list soon. While continuing his style of combative interviews, Morgan emphasized that YouTube—unlike traditional linear TV—allows him to broadcast live interviews at any time to a global audience.

Scott Taunton, head of broadcasting at News UK, said the new model gives Morgan “the freedom to grow his business by leveraging his position as a truly global visionary” and keeps the two sides commercially connected. Morgan also signed a deal with US-based Red Seat Ventures to help monetize his brand further through sponsorships and other sources of income.

Jamie Young

Jamie is an on-air business reporter and Senior Business Correspondent, bringing over a decade of experience in UK SME business reporting. Jamie holds a degree in Business Administration and regularly participates in industry conferences and workshops to stay on top of emerging trends. When not reporting on the latest business developments, Jamie is passionate about mentoring journalists and budding entrepreneurs, sharing their wealth of knowledge to inspire the next generation of business leaders.

Source link