After a year of chaos, CNN bets on new CEO Thompson to focus on long-term viability
Summary
When former CNN Chief Executive Officer Chris Licht started running the news organization last year, he had a mission from his boss, Warner Bros. Existing CNN executives believe they already have the infrastructure in place to appropriately handle the former president and current Republican primary candidate as the 2024 election ramps up, the person said. Paying a monthly fee could unlock on-demand or live CNN programming on certain subjects, give users access to particular pieces of in-depth or focused journalism and provide other benefits. Thompson may also explore ways to integrate Bleacher Report with CNN.com, just as The New York Times has done with The Athletic, the online sports media company it acquired last year for $550 million, according to a person familiar with the matter. Former CNN leadership feared news content would get swallowed up by a larger streaming service, believing it would be difficult to convince viewers to eschew entertainment programming when both are on the same platform.