Piers Morgan has left Rupert Murdoch's media group to pursue his own show on YouTube.
Mr Morgan has not renewed his contract with News UK and has agreed a deal with News UK's parent company, owned by Mr Murdoch, to acquire his Uncensored media brand and its large YouTube following of 3.6 million subscribers.
The outspoken presenter's future at News UK has been the subject of speculation for a long time now, following the expiry of his £50m contract with the company which covered his TalkTV show, his newspaper columns, and a book publishing deal last year.
He described it as a "straitjacket" and relocated it to YouTube instead.
The 59-year-old presenter will now concentrate on expanding his Uncensored show, particularly in the US and other international markets.
Mr Morgan has signed a deal with Red Seat Ventures, an American agency which assists high-profile individuals in increasing their earnings through sponsorship opportunities and other revenue streams.
Red Seat's list of clients includes American podcaster and political commentator Megyn Kelly, former Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson and former New York Times journalist Bari Weiss.
The four-year agreement with News UK, negotiated via Mr Morgan's company Wake Up Productions, will have Mr Murdoch maintaining a share of the revenue generated from advertising.
However, Mr Morgan will be operating independently of News UK, which also owns The Sun and The Times newspapers.
In a statement, Mr. Morgan said: “I've had a fantastic experience working at News again and I'm thrilled that we will be continuing our partnership. Owned by the brand, my team and I now have the flexibility to concentrate solely on developing Uncensored as a standalone business, both editorially and commercially, with the potential to expand it beyond just me and my content in the future.”
It's evident from the latest US election that YouTube is becoming an increasingly powerful and significant media platform, and Uncensored is one of the fastest-growing shows globally. I'm very enthusiastic about the potential for Uncensored.
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Volodymyr Zelensky, Benjamin Netanyahu and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The presenter this week stated he was "getting closer" to securing an interview with Elon Musk.
He complained that he was being held back by the scheduling constraints of his traditional TalkTV show, arguing that YouTube gave him more flexibility and the opportunity to reach a bigger audience.
Scott Taunton, head of broadcasting at News UK, said: "This is a brand new business model which gives Piers the flexibility to build his own business by making the most of his role as a genuine global opinion maker."
“With the ever-changing media scene, we must be imaginative in how we collaborate with renowned journalists and reach out to a worldwide audience via our well-established brands. We are thrilled to build on our close partnership with Piers and help him take his Uncensored vision forward.”
It has been established that Mr Morgan's agreement with Harper Collins, the publisher of News UK, will proceed as scheduled, with the book expected to be released this year. Additionally, the former Daily Mirror editor will continue to contribute to Mr Murdoch's newspaper publications.
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