CNN chief Mark Thompson in early talks to stay on under Paramount Skydance

CNN chief Mark Thompson is in early talks to keep running the news network after Paramount Skydance completes its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Paramount Skydance boss David Ellison has asked Thompson to stay on once the deal closes, and the two have discussed a new contract in conversations in recent weeks, according to The Wall Street Journal. Those discussions are at an early stage, Variety reported on 1 October.

Thompson addressed the speculation directly with staff. "I am enthusiastic about staying" in the role, he told CNN employees during a town hall meeting, according to Variety. His current contract is believed to run out in 2027.

There is no guarantee the talks lead to a deal. The Hollywood Reporter noted on 1 October that there is no assurance the early discussions will result in an agreement.

The question of who leads CNN matters because the network remains a large business inside Warner Bros. Discovery. The company projected in a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing earlier in 2026 that CNN will generate $600 million in profit in 2026 on $1.8 billion in revenue, according to Variety.

Editorial independence is shaping the conversation. Thompson has called for CNN to operate without interference in its editorial mission. Paramount has agreed to set up a board to oversee the independence of its news properties as part of its settlement with state attorneys general who sought to block its Warner Bros. Discovery deal, Variety reported.

What that independence looks like in practice is still open. Thompson cautioned staff last month that it was not clear Paramount intended to merge CNN and CBS News, a point Variety reported on 23 September. Paramount is likely to keep CBS News and CNN apart initially as it navigates its purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Paramount won its bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, Variety reported on 22 September. Thompson has since urged staff to focus on their work while the transaction moves forward.

Thompson took over as chairman and chief executive of CNN Worldwide in 2023. He arrived after eight years as the top business executive at The New York Times and, before that, eight years as director general of the BBC.

For viewers, nothing changes yet. The talks concern who steers CNN after the ownership change, not its daily schedule. A new contract would give the network continuity at the top while Paramount decides how its two news operations sit alongside each other.