Mark Thompson will remain chairman and editor-in-chief of CNN after Skydance completes its purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN's parent company, according to reports Monday. Thompson, who took the helm of the cable news network in 2023, had faced an uncertain future as the takeover battle played out.
The decision comes as a relief to CNN staffers who feared the network could be folded together with CBS News after the change of ownership. There had also been speculation that Bari Weiss, the editor-in-chief of CBS News, could be given additional oversight over CNN — a scenario that Thompson's continued leadership now appears to settle.
The ownership question was resolved after Netflix withdrew its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing the path for David Ellison's Paramount Skydance to pursue the takeover. WBD's board had favored the Netflix offer, but that bid excluded the company's linear networks, including CNN — leaving the news channel's future a central subplot of the deal.
Thompson's retention signals continuity at a moment when the network is navigating both corporate transition and a bruising ratings environment across cable news. His tenure since 2023 has been defined by a digital-first push and a sweeping newsroom overhaul; staying on through the Skydance era gives him a longer runway to see that strategy through.
