By Brian Stelter, CNN
(CNN) — Mark Thompson, who has led CNN for the past three years, will remain at the helm as the Ellison family acquires the news network’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.
With the merger of Paramount and Warner set to take effect Tuesday, the combined company, named Skydance, is announcing its leadership team on Monday morning. Thompson is staying in place as chairman and editor-in-chief of CNN, reporting to Skydance CEO David Ellison and co-CEO Ynon Kreiz.
The announcement resolves months of uncertainty relating to the politically charged media mega-merger. It also signals that there won’t be any immediate combination of CNN with Paramount’s CBS News unit.
In a memo to CNN staffers on Monday, Thompson wrote, “First, I’m convinced that from David Ellison on down, Paramount Skydance leadership really does believe in news alongside entertainment as a top strategic opportunity for our new company. They’ve seen our digital strategy and are as excited about it as we are.”
“And second, having now spoken to them at length of the topic, I have real confidence that they both understand and will fully support the principle and practice of the kind of independent news that CNN has always stood for,” Thompson wrote. “That’s why I will be leading CNN into this new chapter as it becomes one of Skydance’s suite of major media assets and global brands, and leading it as an independent editor-in-chief with the same responsibilities and prerogatives that I have now.”
Thompson, who ran the BBC and The New York Times Co. before joining CNN in 2023, had told staffers that he wanted to remain in place “if the circumstances are right.”
Thompson held several meetings with Paramount executives last week, sources familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report that David Ellison had asked Thompson to stay on, auguring stability for CNN at a volatile time for the news media.
When Paramount won the bidding war for Warner last February, CNN employees expressed serious concerns about whether the Ellisons would uphold editorial independence at one of the biggest news organizations in the world.
Paramount patriarch Larry Ellison, one of the richest men in the world, has been a close ally of President Donald Trump, who said last December that “it’s imperative that CNN be sold.”
Trump signaled that he viewed the change in ownership as a way for him to exert control over news coverage, and so have his allies. “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last March.
Trump, Hegseth and other officials attended an off-the-record dinner with David Ellison and other Paramount leaders in April. Officials in Trump’s Justice Department green-lit the merger in June despite misgivings from career staffers, according to the Journal.
David Ellison’s changes at CBS News also caused consternation. Shortly after acquiring Paramount in August 2025, he acquired The Free Press website and installed co-founder Bari Weiss as CBS News editor-in-chief.
Weiss-led shakeups in the network news division prompted months of bad press, allegations of managerial ineptitude, and rumblings that Ellison had miscast her in the role. Several ousted correspondents accused Weiss of unduly interfering with their work, though Weiss denied that.
While key CBS newscasts have continued to struggle in the ratings, Weiss and her deputies have notched numerous reporting wins and launched new ventures, including podcasts and live events. And despite Paramount’s attempts to put on a Trump-friendly face, CBS News has kept breaking hard-hitting stories, including about the Trump administration.
During the Warner merger tug-of-war, David Ellison praised CNN and said that “editorial independence will absolutely be maintained.”
Still, many merger opponents warned that the Ellison family couldn’t be trusted with a news asset like CNN. Some of the Democratic state attorneys general who filed an antitrust suit in July to block the deal were openly critical of Weiss and her actions at CBS.
Monday’s announcement indicates that Weiss will not be given oversight of CNN for the foreseeable future. It does not answer any specific questions about a tie-up of CNN and CBS News down the road, however.
“The specifics of how CNN will plug into and operate in the new company have yet to be finalized — hardly surprising given that serious discussions could only begin after Paramount’s anti-trust settlement a few days ago,” Thompson wrote in his memo.
David Ellison and his inner circle have been hustling to firm up Skydance’s leadership team and launch the new company ever since September 21, when the attorneys general agreed to settle their antitrust lawsuit.
The agreement called for creating a five-member “editorial independence board” overseeing CBS News and CNN. The board is meant to uphold editorial standards and resolve disputes, according to the settlement terms. Skydance has six months to appoint the board members.
Once the merger takes effect on Tuesday, Skydance will face severe pressure to cut costs, since the combined company has been saddled with an enormous amount of debt.
At the same time, Skydance will rely on the cash flow from profitable channels like CNN to support its restructuring, giving it good reason to avoid disrupting the network while growing its digital businesses.
Thompson wrote in his memo, “I know many of you have had trepidations about this moment. That’s understandable — indeed, as I’ve hinted before, I’ve had the odd moment or two myself! But I want to say that on the eve of the acquisition of CNN by Paramount Skydance, I find myself in a very positive frame of mind. I really do believe we’ll be working alongside a team who don’t just have real vision and real energy, but real values as well.”
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
Mark Thompson to remain CNN chairman as Ellisons take control of Warner Bros. Discovery News Channel 3-12.
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