Rupert Murdoch’s News UK has rejected claims that the media mogul has given the struggling TalkTV until Christmas to improve its ratings.
Launched last April, the channel has consistently posted smaller audiences than its right-wing rival GB News.
Talk’s flagship show, Piers Morgan Uncensored, has a regular audience of around 30,000 TV viewers, but its other shows attract even smaller viewing figures.
With TalkTV running up £34m in start-up costs, Mr Murdoch wants to see evidence that the channel can become economically viable.
Rebranding Talk as The Sun TV is one option being considered in order to help tap into the sister tabloid title’s mass readership.
Talk presenter Jeremy Kyle has filmed test promotional clips using The Sun branding.
A report on the Media Guido website claimed that Mr Murdoch has given the channel until Christmas to turn its fortunes around – and could pull the plug earlier.
Insiders suggested the billionaire could seek to conserve resources for a bid to buy The Spectator.
The weekly magazine is being put up for auction, along with the Telegraph newspapers, after Lloyds banking group seized control of the titles from the Barclay family over unpaid debts.
One figure said: “The £34m and rising spent on Talk is around the same figure it would cost Rupert to buy The Spectator which he has coveted. That might look a better business bet.”
There are fears that a staff exodus could follow if confidence drains from TalkTV.
In a blow to Morgan, Erron Gordon, the highly-regarded director behind Piers Morgan’s Uncensored show quit to join GB News.
Seizing on figures showing GB News has outperformed Sky News in prime-time on some nights, Gordon said: “GB News is already well on track to being the Number One news channel by 2028, so I’m thrilled at the chance to ensure it’s also Britain’s best-looking news channel.”
He added: “Like GB News itself, I intend to innovate and push boundaries while retaining the warmth, relatability, and quintessentially British feel that its audiences love so much.” Last week, TalkTV political editor Kate McCann announced she is moving to Times Radio.
However News UK dismissed the closure speculation. A spokesperson said: “There are no plans nor any discussions about closing TalkTV.”
Meanwhile, GB News faces a new Ofcom investigation over its Don’t Kill Cash campaign designed to ensure that paper money remains legal tender until at least 2050.
The initiative, which urges viewers to sign a petition to have the issue debated in Parliament, is regularly promoted on air.
GB News said the campaign is “rapidly gaining momentum as the People’s Channel continues fighting to protect vulnerable Britons who rely on cash and are being left behind.”
However following a complaint, Ofcom is investigating whether the campaign breaches broadcasting rules which “exclude all expressions of the views and opinions of the person providing the service (in this case, GB News’s owners) on matters of political and industrial controversy or current public policy.”
Ofcom is also considering whether a GB News programme hosted by two Conservative MPs broke impartiality rules.
Esther McVey and Philip Davies interviewed Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in the programme under investigation.
New figures from media consultancy Enders Analysis illustrate the challenge faced by “insurgent” news channels.
Its report found: “Since the launch of TalkTV, the average daily reach of GB News (601,000) and TalkTV (254,000) remains dwarfed by Sky News (1.75m) and BBC News (2.36m), though the gap has been narrowing recently.”
Both channels are struggling to attract advertisers and are reining in costs – TalkTV reportedly spent around £250,000 on guests in its first eight months on air.
News UK insiders point to the impact Morgan’s show is having globally, with clips racking up millions of YouTube views.
A presenter shake-up is expected at TalkTV in the autumn, i understands.
Insiders insist it is “business as usual” at the channel with the closure claims dismissed as “Summer silly season starting early.”
Morgan’s ratings have soared when he attracts exclusive interviews with stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo with those interviews cross-promoted in The Sun.
Enders warned that simply rebranding Talk as The Sun TV is unlikely to transform its fortunes.
“This does not mean that channel will be a funnel to The Sun or The Times given that the average consumer is unlikely to be aware that these two national newspapers are owned by one publisher, let alone other brands within News UK,” its report said.
GB News owner Sir Paul Marshall, the Brexiteer who made his money from hedge funds, is also tipped as a possible bidder for The Spectator, which could sell for up to £50m in a competitive auction.
Some figures at Talk and GB News believe there is only room for one right-of-centre opinionated news TV channel. They would like Murdoch and Marshall to thrash out a deal to create one combined UK channel.
