Piers Morgan is making a significant shift from his long-standing career as a broadcast journalist to focus on building a $100 million YouTube empire with his "Uncensored" channel. He is currently finalizing a funding round of approximately $30 million (around £22 million) to support this expansion. The funding round involves backing from US investment bank Raine and Greek media mogul Theo Kyriakou, and it values his company at approximately $130 million (£100 million). Joe Ravitch, Raine's co-founder and a prominent media dealmaker, will join the board of "Uncensored," overseeing the fundraising alongside Raine partner Erik Hodge.
Morgan's "Uncensored" YouTube channel has already accumulated 4.3 million subscribers. He hosts often contentious debates and extensive interviews with high-profile figures. Morgan projects that within four to five years, "Uncensored" will become one of the biggest media brands globally. This move is driven by his belief that YouTube represents the future of media, particularly as he found the hour-long TV format restrictive for his debates, especially on sensitive topics.
His show, "Piers Morgan Uncensored," which was initially launched in 2022 as a venture with News Corp, has amassed over 4 million YouTube subscribers in under three years, averaging nearly 800,000 audio and video listens and views per episode. Morgan took full ownership of the venture this year. He has interviewed notable personalities such as President Donald Trump, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Kanye West. He is also launching "History Uncensored," hosted by former CNN anchor Bianca Nobilo, available weekly on YouTube and as a podcast. This full pivot to YouTube means Morgan's content is no longer regulated by Ofcom, although he stated this wasn't his primary motivation.
