CNN ‘Nowhere Near Ready For The Future,’ New CEO Mark Thompson Warns
CNN CEO and chairman Mark Thompson on Monday said the network “is still nowhere near ready for the future” on his first day in the role.
In a video shared with staff, Thompson noted the challenges facing the TV industry and the news business specifically, saying most people under retirement age now consume news on their mobile phones, with companies needing to adapt to that new reality.
Linear TV, which has for years been CNN’s core and most lucrative business, Thompson said, “can longer define us.”
“It’s one platform in a growing portfolio of platforms,” he added, according to CNN’s Reliable Source newsletter.
Thompson said CNN’s digital platforms “lag well behind the current state of the art” but added that the organization’s new streaming platform offers hope for optimism.
“The truth is that despite some recent encouraging developments, like the launch of CNN Max, this company is still nowhere near ready for the future,” Thompson said.
CNN Max, however, faces its own challenges as DirecTV warned parent company Warner Bros. Discovery it runs the risk of violating their contract by simulcasting several hours of programming typically reserved for the linear channel to the streaming platform.
DirecTV and other distributors pay millions to carry CNN on their platforms.
CNN Max isn’t the company’s first attempt to enter the streaming space.
In 2022, the news organization launched CNN+, but the platform was killed just weeks after going live following the network’s acquisition by Warner Bros. Discovery.
Thompson also laid out his editorial strategy, urging his journalists to follow the news “no matter who it is going to upset.”
“Let’s cover political news proportionately and fairly but not be frightened by our own shadows,” Thompson said.
Thompson, a former executive at The New York Times at the BBC, was picked to lead the network months after the exit of ex-CEO Chris Licht.
Licht came under fire for several programming decisions, including hosting a live town hall with former President Donald Trump, as well as the network’s low ratings, but his fate was sealed following the publication of an unflattering 15,000-word profile by Tim Alberta for The Atlantic.
Thompson joined the Times in 2012 and is credited with turning around the company’s digital subscription business and leading several successful projects, including launching the “Daily” podcast, before departing in 2020.
Prior to his role at the Times, Thompson served as director general of the BBC for eight years in what is considered a politically charged position. He started his career at the BBC in 1979 as a production trainee.
