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Struggling TalkTV has until Xmas to turn things around – reports

TalkTV could have until Christmas to turn things around as its ratings continue to lag.

Rupert Murdoch’s UK news channel TalkTV launched at the end of April but has since struggled to make a splash in the battle of the TV news ratings.

Even Piers Morgan, the channel’s biggest name presenter, has largely failed to draw in a notable number of viewers when compared to GB News, Sky News and BBC News.

Despite big investment in staff and studios and a listing on Freeview, TalkTV reaches only 3 per cent of the UK TV viewing population per month for an average of visit length of eight seconds, according to Barb.

It could prove to be an unsustainable outlay for Rupert Murdoch, who is already believed to be considering shelving the news channel.

According to multiple sources, there are plans for an emergency scheduling reshuffle soon, with Mike Graham’s show potentially shifted to the afternoon, and Julia Hartley-Brewer moved away from her breakfast slot.

There’s also talk of rebranding it “Sun TV” to attract more viewers, but if all fails it could be shelved by Christmas.

Related: Labour ‘more interested in destroying the left of the party than getting into government’ – McDonnell

Jack Peat

Jack is a business and economics journalist and the founder of The London Economic (TLE). He has contributed articles to VICE, Huffington Post and Independent and is a published author. Jack read History at the University of Wales, Bangor and has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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