TalkTV channel to go off air following bold Piers Morgan decision
News comes two years after channel was launched
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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.”
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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