New York ? British tabloid veteran Piers Morgan, hired by CNN to start as Larry King’s replacement as a prime-time interviewer in January, promised that he “came here to win.”

CNN nailed down the final piece of its prime-time makeover on Wednesday, after months where it was clear the “America’s Got Talent” panelist was its top choice. King, who announced in June he was leaving “Larry King Live,” will have his final show on Dec. 16.

Negotiations dragged while CNN worked out a deal that allows Morgan to continue on “America’s Got Talent” and his British talk show, “Piers Morgan’s Life Stories,” on Britain’s ITV.

“I didn’t come here to lose,” he said. “I have always spent my life in ferocious ratings or circulation wars. It’s what gets me going in the morning, and I want to combine brilliant interviews with great ratings.”