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.