Piers Morgan Heads Down Under In New Murdoch Deal

Piers Morgan has reunited with Rupert Murdoch, signing a News Corp contract after leaving his position as host of ITV’s Good Morning Britain earlier this year.

Morgan now has a newspaper, book and TV deal, with a program slated to air on Sky News Australia, as well as the US’s FOX Nation streaming service. It will also be broadcast on talkTV, a new British channel, which will launch in early 2022. According to News Corp, the deal also involves Morgan presenting a series of true crime documentaries.

His written work will include columns at The Sun and The New York Post, and a book which will be published by HarperCollins UK.

Morgan began his career with News Corp, writing for The Sun, before being appointed editor of the now-defunct News Of The World by Murdoch.

He left in the mid-90s, defecting to rival publication the Daily Mirror. Morgan was sacked for publishing doctored photos of British Army soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners.

In 2015, he joined the cast of ITV’s Good Morning Britain, but left in March of 2021 after accusing Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex of lying about the impact on royal life on her mental health in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. Morgan’s remarks received more than 50,000 complaints to Britain’s regulatory body, Ofcom.

After an on-air argument with co-presenter Alex Beresford, he stormed off set, and subsequently left the show.

Now, six months later, he has reurned to the embrace of his first employer.

In a statement, Morgan said, “I’m thrilled to be returning to News Corp. which is where I began my media career more than 30 years ago. Rupert Murdoch has been a constant and fearless champion of free speech and we are going to be building something new and very exciting together.”

“I want my global show to be a fearless forum for lively debate and agenda-setting interviews, and a place that celebrates the right of everyone to have an opinion, and for those opinions to be vigorously examined and challenged.”

Murdoch described Morgan in the press release as “the broadcaster every channel wants but is too afraid to hire.”

“Piers is a brilliant presenter, a talented journalist and says what people are thinking and feeling. He has many passionate fans around the world and we look forward to expanding his audience in the UK, at FOX Nation, Sky News Australia, The Sun and the New York Post.”

With regard to his program being broadcast in Australia, Paul Whittaker, CEO of Sky News Australia said, “Piers Morgan is one of the strongest and most important voices in the media. Piers is fearless. We are delighted he will be joining the Sky News Australia line-up from early next year.”

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