Who owns TalkTV? Rupert Murdoch net worth, who is wife Jerry Hall, why he launched channel with Piers Morgan

TalkTV features presenters Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and Jeremy Kyle and has mixed reviews since its launch
Rupert Murdoch is the 76th richest person in the world with a net worth of $16.9 billionRupert Murdoch is the 76th richest person in the world with a net worth of $16.9 billion
Rupert Murdoch is the 76th richest person in the world with a net worth of $16.9 billion

TalkTV is the latest news channel to grace UK screens, after its launch on 25 April.

Owned by Australian-American media tycoon, Rupert Murdoch, the station was created after he couldn’t find anything he wanted to watch over the Covid lockdown.

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Featuring presenters including Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and Jeremy Kyle, the station has had mixed reviews.

Here’s everything you need to know about TalkTV.

What is TalkTV?

TalkTV is a new TV channel that launched on 25 April and is available to watch on Sky, Virgin Media, Freeview and online.

Described as featuring “proper” hourly news by News UK, the channel will cover everything from entertainment to sport and documentaries.

It will feature primetime presenters including Tom Newton, Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne and daytime presenters Julia Hartley-Brewer, Mike Graham, Ian Collins and Jeremy Kyle.

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News UK chief executive Rebekah Brooks said: “We are committed to providing choice for television and streaming viewers and bringing the best of our journalism to the screen.”

Who owns TalkTV?

TalkTV is owned by Australian-American media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

Through his company News Corp, Murdoch owns hundreds of news publishing outlets around the world including The Sun and The Times in the UK, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post and Fox News in the US and Sky Australia. Murdoch previously owned Sky in the UK, but sold it in 2018.

According to the Financial Times, he decided to set up TalkTV as he “wanted something to watch” during lockdown and found there was nothing on TV that appealed to him.

What are the TalkTV ratings?

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TalkTV launched on 25 April and so far it has seen steady viewer ratings.

The first episoe od Piers Morgan’s show Piers Morgan Uncensored saw average of 317,000 viewers according to figures from the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (BARB).

Morgan took to Twitter to share the news, he said: “@PiersUncensored beat BBC News & Sky News COMBINED in the ratings last night, and got FIVE TIMES the GB News rating. Thanks for watching - and tune into tonight for another great show! @TalkTV”

What is Rupert Murdoch’s net worth?

According to Forbes Magazine, Murdoch has a net worth of $19.6 billion, making him the 76th richest person in the world.

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Murdoch inherited his first newspaper at the age of 22 from his father and has went on to build an international media empire.

In 2019 he sold his Fox movie studio, FX and National Geographic Networks to Disney for an eye-watering $71.3 billion.

Who is Rupert Murdoch’s wife Jerry Hall?

Ninety-one-year old Murdoch married American model Jerry Hall in 2016.

Hall, who is his fourth wife, met him through Penny Fowler, his sister’s niece, in 2015 and tied the knot after dating for five months.

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Hall is famously known for being a model and an actor and for her previous marriage to Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, which ended in divorce in 1999.

Who are the TalkTV presenters?

TalkTV has attracted some famous names as presenters, including:

Piers Morgan

Piers Morgan hosts TalkTV show Piers Morgan UncensoredPiers Morgan hosts TalkTV show Piers Morgan Uncensored
Piers Morgan hosts TalkTV show Piers Morgan Uncensored

Piers Morgan, who famously walked out on his presenter role for Good Morning Britain, now hosts a primetime show on TalkTV called Piers Morgan Uncensored.

The first episode aired on 25 April and saw Morgan interview former US president Donald Trump, who had some scathing things to say about Prince Harry and Meghan.

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In the interview Trump described Harry as being “ whipped like no person I think I’ve ever seen.”

Sharon Osbourne

Sharon Osbourne has spoken openly with Piers Morgan about her experiences after she was fired from US chat show The Talk. (credit: Getty Images)Sharon Osbourne has spoken openly with Piers Morgan about her experiences after she was fired from US chat show The Talk. (credit: Getty Images)
Sharon Osbourne has spoken openly with Piers Morgan about her experiences after she was fired from US chat show The Talk. (credit: Getty Images)

TV personality and presenter Sharon Osbourne will host a weeknight current affairs show called The Talk, which airs at 9pm.

News UK says the show will: “bring together five opinionated famous faces – all from different backgrounds and with differing views – to debate the most interesting stories of the day”.

Jeremy Kyle

The Jeremy Kyle Show was axed in 2019The Jeremy Kyle Show was axed in 2019
The Jeremy Kyle Show was axed in 2019

Jeremy Kyle, who is a daytime presenter, is back on TV for the first time since his ITV show was cancelled.

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Kyle, whose former daytime show was cancelled following the death of guest Steve Dymond, had been working as a host for TalkRadio.

In his first appearance on TalkTV, he joined Sharon Osbourne on her live show, The Talk, which airs at 9.00pm.

Where can I watch TalkTV?

TalkTV was launched on 25 April 2022.

You can watch it on Sky Channel 526, Virgin Media Channel 627, Freeview Channel 237 and Freesat Channel 217.

You can also stream TalkTV on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung TV Plus (Channel 4316) and on TalkTV’s website and apps.

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