Piers Morgan tipped for chat show and £2m ITV deal

by Nikki Sandison Brand Republic 16-May-08, 10:50

LONDON - Piers Morgan, former Daily Mirror editor and current judge on 'Britain's Got Talent', is about to sign an exclusive £2m deal with ITV, which could include a primetime chat show according to reports.

The deal will cover Morgan's current role as a 'Britain's Got Talent' judge, alongside Simon Cowell and Amanda Holden, but ITV may also hand him a primetime chat show, claims The Sun.

A source close to Piers told the newspaper: "He is close to signing."

A spokesperson for ITV was reported to have said: "Piers is like Marmite -- you either love him or hate him. He's doing a lot for ITV and it makes sense to get him on an exclusive deal.

"We have the biggest names on TV with ITV -- Simon Cowell and Ant and Dec. Now we have Morgan."

Morgan is currently filming 'America's Got Talent' in Las Vegas with Sharon Osbourne and is also involved in a BBC One project about the dark side of fame -- this could be his last non-ITV programme before the contract begins.

'Britain's Got Talent' has been a big ratings winner for ITV on Saturday nights, with some shows pulling in more than 10m viewers.