Murdoch’s TalkTV starts to cut staff after axing television channel
Talk TV has begun shedding staff, with up to two thirds of roles set to go after Rupert Murdoch’s News UK said it was taking the channel off air.
Created to shake up the broadcasting establishment, TalkTV will move to streaming platforms by the summer, with original programming expected to be stripped back.
News UK has moved swiftly to cut the operating costs of the channel, which suffered two years of largely dismal TV ratings.
Some two thirds of staff have been told they will be let go, the Guido Fawkes website reported.
An insider said: “The bosses are wasting no time. The TV closure was only announced days ago and people have already been called into meetings and told their roles are going.”
However Piers Morgan’s Uncensored show, which moved to YouTube before the TV closure plan was confirmed, will retain a dedicated production team, i understands.
The insider said: “They will shift resources to where the audience is and that is on streaming. Piers has had 11 million views since he came off TalkTV.
“There will still be a TalkTV feed on TV streaming platforms for now but it will be TalkRadio basically. Some of the presenters on big salaries might also have to share the pain.”
Staff were earlier told in an email that TalkTV will continue as a “live streaming news and opinion channel, distributing through streaming platforms to include YouTube, Amazon Fire, Samsung, LG and others”.
The channel launched in 2022 with a hiring blitz, signing star names including Vanessa Feltz on an estimated £1m contract.
Mr Murdoch courted Morgan with a £50m global deal, including newspaper columns, books and appearances on the US Fox Nation platform. The deal, which runs until the end of the year, could be scaled back into a joint venture.
News UK declined to comment. A source said: “There will be job losses and the 30-day consultation process has begun. We’re moving as fast as possible. It’s a complete restructure so most people will be affected.”
“We’re also turbocharging digital video, creating new roles making content for The Times, The Sun, TalkRadio and Virgin Radio.”
News UK has identified podcasts as a cost-efficient growth area. On Thursday it announced former foreign secretary William Hague will join the presenting line-up of a new daily news podcast, The Story, under the Times and Sunday Times brands.
Mr Hague said: “The aim is to cover a range of subjects with my interviewees, from geopolitics and the domestic political situation, to science, economics, and artificial intelligence.”
