• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, August 30, 2023

Warner Bros. Discovery has named Mark Thompson, a former director-general of the BBC and president/CEO of The New York Times Company, as chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide.

The appointment comes less than three months after Chris Licht was ousted after just 16 months in the post.

Since then, the business has been led by CNN COO David Leavy on the operational side and three executives on the programming side: Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent and content development; Virginia Moseley, EVP of editorial; and Eric Sherling, EVP of U.S. programming.

Thompson, who will report to WBD CEO David Zaslav, will lead CNN’s strategy, operations and business units, including its global portfolio of networks, channels and programming across broadcast, streaming and digital, as well as CNN’s approximately 4,000 employees worldwide. He will also act as editor in chief, with ultimate responsibility for all CNN content. 

The interim team members will continue at CNN in their functional roles, reporting to Thompson.

Thompson spearheaded the digital transformation of The New York Times as the company’s chief executive from 2012 to 2020, increasing paid digital subscriptions tenfold and more than doubling the company’s total digital revenues, according to WBD’s announcement. He also oversaw innovations in podcasting (The Daily) and lifestyle and features content, including Wirecutter, NYT Cooking and NYT Games.

At the BBC between 2004 and 2012, he oversaw the newsroom — including coverage of the 2008 global financial crisis and the 2012 Olympics in London — as well as national and international TV and radio services and global news assets. He led the development of BBC iPlayer, the world’s first streaming service from a major broadcaster, and expanded web and smartphone services from news to education to entertainment, per WBD. 

Thompson “is a true innovator who has transformed for the digital age two of the world’s most respected news organizations,” Zaslav said in a statement. “His strategic vision, track record in transformational leadership and sheer passion for news make him a formidable force for CNN and journalism at this pivotal time.” 

He also earned something of a reputation for fierceness not just in news judgments, as a result of having bitten a news colleague while in charge at the BBC -- a tidbit from 2012 excavated by Semafor's Ben Smith. (Thompson's spokesperson at the time confirmed the report, but characterized it as "horseplay.")

Thompson faces critical strategic decisions, and considerable pressure, as he, like Licht, seeks to rejuvenate the ailing CNN brand. 

One decision is whether CNN should continue to focus on straight news coverage rather than opinion and analysis. That approach, implemented under Licht, is in no small part behind CNN’s ratings lagging behind not just Fox, but MSNBC, which has benefitted with the progressive audience from its aggressive coverage of Donald Trump’s indictments. 

Thompson will also have to determine whether the just-launched 24/7 news stream on the Max streaming service — which is being described as “part of an open beta for news” — can generate enough ad revenue and/or support Max subscription growth enough to justify the costs involved. WBD pulled the plug on the barely launched CNN+ streamer immediately after acquiring Warner Media in April 2022. 

He is also taking the reins after a series of demoralizing layoffs at CNN since WBD’s takeover, and days after CNN announced a wholesale reshuffling of its programming lineup.