2024 saw a slight increase among journalists from traditional media who set out on their own, starting with MSNBC Mehdi Hasan And culminating with CNN Chris Wallace. NOW, Pier Morgan kicks off what will likely be a wave of similar announcements in 2025.
Wednesday host Piers Morgan Uncensored revealed to Sky News that he would take possession of the YouTube-based newscast Since Rupert MurdochIt is UK Newswhich also owns channels across the Atlantic such as The Sun and Times Radio. Morgan’s production company, Wake Up Productions, will be the new manager of the Uncensored brand, while News UK will receive a portion of its advertising revenue through a four-year revenue-sharing deal.
“I had a great time working at News and I’m delighted that we continue to be partners,” Morgan told Sky News in a statement.
“Owning the brand gives my team and I the freedom to focus exclusively on building Uncensored into a standalone business, editorially and commercially, and, over time, expanding it to myself and to my content,” he added. Uncensored currently has 3.6 million subscribers on YouTube.
Morgan’s show launched in 2022 on News UK TalkTV’s FAST service, where it aired weeknights until 2024. when he moved to YouTube. (Talk TV went dark on linear platforms last summer.) “It’s clear that there is a huge global demand for the content we produce, but the commitment of a daily show on a fixed schedule, with all the editing and time sensitivities that that implies, has been an increasingly useless straitjacket”, the host said at the time.
According to Sky News, Morgan is expected to write occasional articles for News Corporation newspapers and carry out a book project through Harper Collins, which is also owned by Murdoch. It also entered into an agreement with the US-based agency Red seat companies to explore business opportunities in the United States for the Uncensored brand.
Morgan is taking the solo route as anchors and reporters on both sides of the political spectrum break away from traditional media in favor of digital platforms. It’s a movement that could accelerate as the president-elect Donald Trump enter the Oval Office. The Republican candidate eschewed broadcast and cable networks during his election campaign in favor of independent creators like Joe Rogan And Theo Von. And the new White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested the preference could continue into the second Trump administration.
“We will certainly consider options to respect White House tradition while ensuring that the press briefing room reflects the media habits of the American people today,” he added. Leavitt said Sean Hannity last year.
It’s worth noting that Morgan has connections to Trump. The president-elect was the inaugural guest. when the series started in 2022.
