Piers Morgan is edging closer to a £100 million valuation for his YouTube-driven media venture, Uncensored, after securing a major round of investment from some of the most influential figures in global media and finance.
Sky News has revealed that Morgan is finalising a fundraising of about $30 million (£22.5 million), giving Uncensored a pre-money valuation of roughly $130 million (£97 million), a remarkable leap for a business built around a single, high-profile presenter less than a year after his departure from Rupert Murdoch’s empire.
The financing round brings in blue-chip supporters. The Raine Group, the powerful US merchant bank known for advising on the sales of Chelsea FC and Manchester United, is set to become a key shareholder, with co-founder Joe Ravitch expected to join the Uncensored board.
Greek media magnate Theo Kyriakou, who owns Antenna Group, is also investing, alongside a number of global family offices. Marketing veteran Michael Kassan is advising on advertising strategy and may invest personally.
A source close to the deal said confirmation of key details is imminent.
Morgan eyeing ‘billion-dollar’ valuation
While Morgan’s personal stake has not been disclosed, insiders estimate that the crystallisation of a $130m valuation puts his interest comfortably into the tens of millions.
The ambition, one figure said, is far higher: “The ambition is to grow this into a billion-dollar company within a few years.”
Morgan is already assembling a senior leadership structure to help scale Uncensored into a broader digital media group. Plans include launching multiple editorial “verticals” under the Uncensored brand, spanning sport, history, technology and potentially politics, with prominent hosts fronting each channel.
Morgan’s strategy has been bolstered by blockbuster audience numbers. Interviews with Cristiano Ronaldo and Novak Djokovic have generated hundreds of millions of views after the athletes reposted clips on social media.
The Uncensored YouTube channel now boasts 4.3 million subscribers, about half of whom are based in the US. A surprisingly small share of viewers are British, with notable followings in the Middle East, South Africa and Asia — a demographic spread that has convinced Morgan that global audiences will support journalism beyond traditional national silos.
His access to major political figures, including President Donald Trump, whom he has interviewed repeatedly, is also expected to play into Uncensored’s growing international appeal.
Morgan severed ties with Rupert Murdoch’s News UK earlier this year in a deal that handed him full ownership of the Uncensored channel. A four-year revenue-sharing arrangement now allows News UK to take a slice of advertising revenue until 2029, while Morgan focuses on turning Uncensored into a standalone powerhouse.
Previously, his contract with Murdoch saw him write columns for The Sun and New York Post, present for TalkTV, and publish his recent book Woke Is Dead with HarperCollins.
Morgan’s ambitious expansion comes against a backdrop of seismic shifts across the media landscape. Netflix this week agreed an $83 billion takeover of Warner Bros, while Sky is in talks to buy ITV’s broadcast arm, and the Daily Telegraph could soon join forces with the Daily Mail.
Traditional publishers such as Reach, owner of the Daily Mirror and Daily Express, now carry valuations as low as £176 million, barely double Uncensored’s emerging worth.
Morgan believes these market dynamics open the door for personality-driven media brands to thrive: “Owning the Uncensored brand allows my team and me the freedom to build it into a standalone business … It’s clear from the US election that YouTube is an increasingly powerful and influential media platform.”
This weekend, he added: “I am very excited that some of the most experienced and successful players in the global media industry share my ambitious vision for Uncensored. This is the future of modern media.”
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Piers Morgan’s Uncensored nears £100m valuation as heavyweight investors back global expansion
