Piers Morgan’s production company made £17.1m in 2024 as he concluded his three-year deal with Rupert Murdoch’s News UK
Press Gazette exclusively reported in April 2022 that Morgan was being paid £50m over three years to return to News Corp-owned News UK to launch Piers Morgan Uncensored.
Accounts for Morgan’s Wake Up Productions, which was incorporated in July 2021, now show the company made revenue of £17.5m in 2022, £15.7m in 2023 and £17.1m in 2024, totalling £50.3m.
The turnover is divided into co-production services (£9.7m), licensing, distribution and branding agreements (£5.1m) and other revenue (£804,880).
The overview of the company in the accounts states that it “focuses on publishing, television programme production, and broadcasting, generating income primarily through digital channels such as Youtube, Facebook, and sponsorships.
“Content featuring Piers Morgan plays a significant role in the company’s media presence and audience engagement.”
Piers Morgan Uncensored started on TalkTV in April 2022 but went digital-only on Youtube, giving more flexibility on the frequency and duration of episodes, in February 2024 – months ahead of the channel’s linear TV closure.
Morgan has since taken ownership of Piers Morgan Uncensored away from News UK, buying the rights with plans to expand globally.
He is working with US-based sales and marketing company Red Seat Ventures to grow the brand’s sponsorship and other revenues, while News UK continues to receive advertising revenue with a commercial partnership lasting until 2029.
[Read more: Publishers ‘should be making £1m a year’ from a successful Youtube channel]
Morgan’s three-year deal with News UK also included columns in The Sun and The New York Post, which finished at the end of 2024, documentaries and a book deal. Morgan will publish his new book Woke Is Dead through News Corp-owned Harper Collins this month.
The Piers Morgan Uncensored Youtube channel, which joined the platform in November 2021, hit two million subscribers in November 2023 and is now at about 4.2 million almost two years later.
The Wake Up Productions company accounts for 2024 show profit before tax of £7m (compared with £7.2m in 2023) with final profit for the financial year of £5.3m (£5.5m in 2023). Some £5m was paid in dividends in 2024.
Morgan owns 94% of shares in the company, with 5% for company secretary Martin Cruddace and 1% for Dolly Strategic Holdings Ltd.
Wake Up lists two directors, Morgan and Cruddace, and one employee. Staff costs, including director remuneration, totalled £7.2m in 2024 and 2023, and £7.4m in 2022.
The company has cash in the bank/at hand of £10.6m, up from £10.2m in 2023.
Wake Up’s business model is described as centring on four pillars:
- “Content monetisation via YouTube and other digital platforms
- Brand partnerships and sponsorships to diversify revenue
- Audience engagement through high-profile personalities and topical content
- Operational efficiency supported by outsourced financial and audit services.”
Wake Up Productions said it plans to expand onto more digital platforms, form strategic partnerships with media agencies, and continue investing in production quality and analytics.
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