Mark Thompson to Lead CNN as Skydance Keeps Bari Weiss at CBS News

Mark Thompson will stay on as chairman and editor-in-chief of CNN Worldwide after Paramount closes its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Skydance announced Monday. Bari Weiss will remain editor-in-chief of CBS News.

Thompson and Weiss will form what Skydance is calling its "CEO News Executive Leadership Team" and report directly to chairman and CEO David Ellison and co-CEO Ynon Kreiz.

The structure answers a key question about the merger: Weiss, whom Ellison put in charge of CBS News after Skydance acquired Paramount, will not oversee CNN or Thompson.

Thompson's title shifts from chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide to chairman and editor-in-chief. He will continue to oversee all CNN operations in the U.S. and internationally, the company said. Thompson joined CNN in 2023 and has pushed the network toward a more digital business model. Before CNN, he was president and CEO of The New York Times Company and director general of the BBC.

Weiss has been editor-in-chief of CBS News since Skydance bought The Free Press, the news organization she co-founded, in 2025. She also remains editor-in-chief of The Free Press.

CNN and CBS News will sit outside Skydance's broader television leadership. George Cheeks becomes co-chair and chief content officer of Skydance TV, overseeing the CBS Television Network, the company's television studios, local stations and more than 50 cable networks.

HBO chief Casey Bloys will lead Skydance's direct-to-consumer business, the company said. Ellison will focus on long-term strategy, creative direction, talent relationships, strategic partnerships, technology and capital allocation. Kreiz will handle day-to-day management and integration.

Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to close soon, after which the combined company will operate as Skydance.