Controversial British talking head, Piers Morgan, would have left bed this morning with a spring in his step with news Piers Morgan Uncensored smashed the Foxtel ratings race on Tuesday night, 26 April 2022.
The political talk show – which airs locally on Sky News Australia – also landed number one spot on news streaming site, Flash, and Sky News Australia’s free-to-air, regional station, Sky Regional.
The Australian reports the first episode notched 93,000 viewers on Foxtel on Tuesday night. While this mightn’t seem brag-worthy, its still a 114 per cent increase on the year-to-date time slot average.
Piers Morgan Uncensored drew a further 48,600 regional viewers, which is a 51 per cent jump on the year-to-date time slot.
Uncensored also claimed top spot on Flash, having recorded three-times the viewership of other popular programs on the platform.
Unsurprisingly, Sky News Australia CEO, Paul Whittaker was pretty chuffed with the results, saying the show had “proven to be a hit” with local audiences.
“A bold and unique show designed for a global audience; it’s pleasing to see how well it has been received across all its broadcast markets,” he said in a statement.
Morgan’s exclusive interview with former US President, Donald Trump, has been the primary talking point from Piers Morgan Uncensored‘s debut episode.
The interview – which drew 2.5 million views on Sky News’ digital platforms – quickly became heated when the 45th US President refused to waiver from his belief that the 2020 election was rigged.
Morgan said he believed the election was “free and fair”, before telling Trump he was being “completely unflagging” in his refusal to accept defeat.
“I believe it was a free and fair election and that you lost. That’s my belief,” said Morgan.
To nobody’s surprise, the former US President and reality TV star didn’t take that very well.
“Well then you’re a fool,” Trump responded. “You’re a fool and you haven’t studied.”
Morgan and Sky News first announced their new program in March 2022, following the political commentator’s unceremonious exit from co-hosting Good Morning Britain, after comments he made about the Duchess of Sussex’s mental health.
“I want [Piers Morgan Uncensored] to be a platform for lively vigorous debate, news-making interviews, and that increasingly taboo three-letter word: fun. I also want it to annoy all the right people,” Morgan said in a statement.
If that’s his metric for success, he’s clearly off to a good start.
