TalkTV channel to go off air following bold Piers Morgan decision
News comes two years after channel was launched
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Piers Morgan’s decision to leave his TalkTV show Uncensored has led to a huge change for the channel.
Morgan revealed last month that he would leave the station in an attempt to build viewership on his YouTube channel – a move he said was inspired by US commentator and Spotify podcaster Joe Rogan.
Following this, it has been announced that TalkTV will be removed from the air entirely, and will instead become an online channel.
Morgan said his decision stemmed from the fact that fixed TV schedules have been “an increasingly unnecessary straitjacket”.
A statement from Scott Taunton, TalkTV’s president of broadcasting, said in a briefing to staff: “Two years ago, we would not have been brave enough to launch a channel without a linear presence, but audiences of all ages have moved fast and smartphones are now the primary device where news is consumed. We need to adapt to this as a priority.
“We are therefore intending that Talk comes off linear television from early summer and our focus will be on streaming.”
He added: “Talk will continue broadcasting as a live streaming news and opinion channel, distributing through streaming platforms to include YouTube, Amazon Fire, Samsung, LG and others.
“A large proportion of our live viewing is already through streaming on televisions and we intend to continue to grow this.
“Clips will continue to be shared through social media. There is no doubt over Talk’s future as an audio and video channel, it just won’t be distributed on linear. Radio on DAB continues unchanged too.”
The Piers Morgan Uncensored YouTube channel has built up a huge audience of 2.35 million subscribers since 2022.
In an interview with The Times, Morgan cited Rogan as a motivation for the change.
“People are watching the content on YouTube rather than conventional television and I have no problem with that,” Morgan told the paper. “You can’t defy audiences or tell them how they should be consuming.”
TalkTV, which launched in 2022, currently has 812,000 YouTube subscribers.
The launch schedule for its first day on April 25 2022 started with The News Desk with The Sun’s former political editor, Tom Newton Dunn, followed by Morgan’s Uncensored show.
Additional reporting by Agencies