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 over his future at News UK.
The outspoken broadcaster will now operate independently, having acquired ownership of its Uncensored brand and its 3.6 million subscribers.
Morgan, 59, opted not to renew his contract with News UK, where he reportedly had a £50million deal for columns, book rights and a TalkTV programme. His departure seemed inevitable after he withdrew from his nightly TalkTV show – complaining it was a “straitjacket” – to focus on YouTube broadcasts. The Uncensored channel will now be developed independently, providing greater flexibility in scheduling and content creation, especially in the United States and other international markets.
Thanks to a four-year partnership through Morgan’s Wake Up Productions, Rupert Murdoch’s company will keep a share of the advertising revenue. However, Morgan will run Uncensored outside the direct supervision of News UK, while continuing to write columns for the newspapers and delivering a book to publisher HarperCollins this year.
Explaining his decision, Morgan said: “Owning the brand gives my team and I the freedom to focus exclusively on building Uncensored into a standalone company, editorially and commercially, and over time, to expand expanding 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 debate Uncensored. He has hinted that Elon Musk could join this list soon. Continuing his combative interview style, Morgan emphasized that YouTube – unlike conventional linear TV – allows him to broadcast live discussions to a global audience at any time.
Scott Taunton, head of broadcasting at News UK, said the new model gives Morgan “flexibility to grow his own business by leveraging his position as a truly global opinion maker” and keeps the two parties commercially linked. Morgan has also signed an agreement with US-based Red Seat Ventures to further help his brand monetize through sponsorships and additional revenue streams.