Thompson, the third CNN head in two years, will be faced with the task of accelerating the cable network’s move into streaming video.
Mark Thompson, a veteran news executive who held top jobs at the BBC and the New York Times, will be the new head of CNN with a mandate to accelerate the cable news channel’s march into the digital media future.
The Warner Bros. Discovery unit is expected to announce Thompson’s hiring as soon as Wednesday, according to people familiar with the plans who were not authorized to comment publicly.
CNN has been run by news executives Amy Entelis, Virginia Moseley and Eric Sherling and Chief Operating Officer David Leavy since the June 7 firing of Chairman Chris Licht.
Thompson’s hiring is a signal that WBD is looking to transform CNN, which is largely dependent on cable subscriptions for its revenue, into a digital-first news operation just as he did at the New York Times, where he was chief executive from 2012 to 2020.
CNN, arguably the most recognized global brand for news, has hit rough terrain in recent years, plagued by falling ratings, a changing media landscape where younger viewers have abandoned cable TV, and a tendency for audiences to favor news sources that adhere to their political views. The network’s Nielsen ratings badly trail conservative outlet Fox News and MSNBC, which caters to progressives.
CNN, which has nearly 4,000 employees, has also faced turmoil in the executive suite. Jeff Zucker, who led CNN through its most profitable years ever, was ousted in Feb.
