Piers Morgan has parted ways with Rupert Murdoch’s media empire in a move set to expand his popular Uncensored show on YouTube, ending months of speculation about his future at News UK.
The outspoken broadcaster will now operate independently, having acquired ownership of his Uncensored brand and its 3.6 million-strong subscriber base.
Morgan, 59, opted not to renew his contract with News UK, where he held a reported £50 million deal covering columns, book rights, and a TalkTV programme. His departure appeared inevitable after he stepped back from his nightly TalkTV show—complaining it was a “straitjacket”—to focus on YouTube broadcasting. The Uncensored channel will now be developed independently, allowing greater flexibility on scheduling and content creation, particularly in the United States and other international markets.
Under a four-year partnership struck through Morgan’s Wake Up Productions, Rupert Murdoch’s company will retain a share of advertising revenue. However, Morgan will run Uncensored outside News UK’s direct oversight, while continuing to write columns for its newspapers and deliver a book to publisher HarperCollins this year.
Explaining his decision, Morgan said: “Owning the brand allows my team and I the freedom to focus exclusively on building Uncensored into a stand-alone business, editorially and commercially, and in time, widening it from just me and my content.”
Morgan’s guest roster has seen high-profile figures such as Donald Trump, Jordan Peterson, Volodymyr Zelensky, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Cristiano Ronaldo debate on Uncensored. He has hinted that Elon Musk could soon join this list. While continuing his combative interview style, Morgan emphasised that YouTube—unlike conventional linear TV—lets him broadcast live discussions at any time to a global audience.
Scott Taunton, head of broadcasting at News UK, said the new model grants Morgan “flexibility to grow his own business by leveraging his position as a true global opinion former” and keeps the two parties commercially linked. Morgan has also signed a deal with US-based Red Seat Ventures to help monetise his brand further through sponsorship and additional revenue streams.
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Piers Morgan quits Murdoch empire to build Uncensored brand independently on YouTube