Mark Thompson to remain CNN chairman as Ellisons take control of Warner Bros. Discovery

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 on 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.