Many expect Mr. Thompson to be appointed as the cable channel's chief executive after his previous boss was fired just 16 months after start of work. Credit: James Manning/Pennsylvania
The former BBC CEO will take over CNN ahead of next year's presidential election as the network battles ratings drops.
Mark Thompson, who ran the UK broadcaster between 2004 and 2012, was due to be named chief executive, chairman and editor-in-chief of the cable channel later today after his previous boss was sacked just 16 months after starting work.
< p>David Zaslav, chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery, said: “Today, there is no leader in the news business more experienced, respected and capable than Mark, and we are thrilled to have him join our team.”
Thompson, 66, faces the challenge of resurrecting a newsroom that has been devastated by layoffs following cutbacks under Warner Bros. owners. discovery. The American media giant is struggling to properly assess the size of its $50bn (£39.5bn) debt following last year's merger between Warner Media and Discovery.
CNN is also struggling to adapt to the growth in streaming and is facing a fall ratings and earnings.
Mr. Thompson's most pressing task will be to decide how the channel will portray Donald Trump's second attack on the White House and his string of criminal charges.
CNN achieved its best ratings in 40 years during the Trump administration. attacked the president's chaotic rule.
However, the American television station, which usually attracts left-wing liberal audiences, has experienced a sharp drop in viewership following the election of Joe Biden as president.
During Mr. Licht's tenure, CNN's viewership is down 61 percent from 2022, averaging just 473,000 in prime time. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images North America
In recent years, Warner Bros. Discovery Mr. Zaslav sought to bring CNN back to center stage and away from its competitive position with the Republican Party.
In October 2022, Chris Licht was hired as CEO of CNN and began moving the network towards the political center. Mr. Licht, former executive producer of Stephen Colbert's The Late Show, told staff that viewers had “lost trust in the media” and criticized journalistic “groupthink”.
Despite Mr. Licht, CNN's audience numbers and advertising revenue have plummeted. According to Nielsen, by March, viewership was down 61 percent from 2022, averaging just 473,000 prime-time viewers.
While cable TV viewership fell across the board, CNN's drop was much sharper than its rival Fox News.
In May, the channel made a bet by offering an interview with Mr. Trump in a bid to boost ratings and draw in conservative viewers.
However, the Republican president's favorite thwarted CNN's attempt at a serious interview, repeating claims that the U.S. election was rigged, and calling the interviewer Caitlan Collins a “nasty person.”
< p>His remarks were met with applause from the audience. In June, The Atlantic reported that Mr. Licht told CNN staff ahead of an interview that the audience would be “very Trumpish.”
The debate failed to win back audiences, and CNN had its worst week for daily viewers since. Only 429,000 enlisted in 2015.
Mr. Licht was forced to leave shortly thereafter.
The Puck Newsletter first reported Mr. Thompson's appointment. CNN was also considering former BBC journalist James Harding for the top job, according to Semaphore.
Mr Thompson, who joined the BBC in 1979, took over the BBC in 2004. In particular, he removed comedian Jonathan Ross from office. , the highest-paid anchor at the time, in 2006 after a controversial hoax with Russell Brand.
He joined the New York Times in 2012, where he spearheaded the paper's revival, transforming the city's liberal newspaper into an international media brand with millions of subscribers.
Mr. Thompson said, “I can't wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work with my new colleagues to build a successful future for CNN.”
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