CNN's hiring of Piers Morgan to a multi-year contract is the result of weeks of negotiations to arrange a deal that allowed him to juggle the hosting job with his many existing gigs.
Morgan's arrangement with CNN will allow him to maintain his positions at NBC's "America's Got Talent" and the British channel ITV, but his future on "Britain's Got Talent" is uncertain.
The cable news network announced Wednesday morning that Morgan would replace Larry King as host of the 9 p.m. hour in January. John Ferriter, Morgan's agent, wouldn't reveal the amount of the CNN contract.
"It's a multi-year deal and he's very happy," was all Ferriter would say when asked about numbers.
Ferriter also said that Morgan has a "multi-year" deal to continue judging on "America's Got Talent" on NBC. Morgan's NBC contract was renegotiated to allow him to do double duty with CNN. An NBC spokesperson declined to comment on the specifics of Morgan's "Talent" deal.
Morgan, who got his start as a tabloid journalist in the U.K., also works across the pond as host of the ITV interview show "Piers Morgan's Life Stories" and as a judge on "Britain's Got Talent."
An individual close to Morgan told TheWrap that Morgan will continue to host the ITV show, but that it remains to be seen whether he will stay on "Britain's Got Talent."
Earlier this week, Simon Cowell, the creator of "Britain's Got Talent," told the British newspaper Daily Star that he plans to make "big changes" on the show in 2011.
"Expect big changes. I like the idea of doing something different next year. No one is safe. No one should feel they have the show guaranteed," Cowell said.
