Piers Morgan has decided to move his daily talk show, Uncensored, from TalkTV to its YouTube channel. Morgan said that traditional television programming schedules were a “straitjacket” and that the move online would allow him to conduct longer interviews with guests. He added that the switch would allow Uncensored to reach a larger, more global audience because it already had 2.35 million subscribers to its YouTube channel.
The announcement comes as a surprise because TalkTV was launched less than two years ago by News UK, a News Corp subsidiary. It was designed to provide an alternative to the established broadcasters’ news coverage. However, Morgan’s show has been more successful on YouTube, with viewership numbers much higher than on television.
Morgan gave an interview to The Times in which he explained that audiences had shown they wanted to watch the show online and that it was impossible to impose a schedule or force viewers to change their viewing preferences. He cited an interview with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, which was released on YouTube on Monday, as an example of how YouTube gave the show more flexibility.
Morgan also told several American press outlets that he wanted to provide longer interviews because they are what “the YouTube crowd love.” Morgan co-owns Uncensored with News Corp and is confident that he can expand the brand globally.
Many popular news and interview shows have shifted to YouTube, with the hosts often becoming the main attraction. Ben Shapiro, a conservative political pundit, has 6.7 million subscribers to his channel, while the progressive news outlet The Young Turks has 5.8 million subscribers
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