To say Mark Thompson’s time at CNN has been anything but eventful would be an understatement. He has presided over several interesting moments and endeavors and admits there are still things to work on.
In a conversation with the Financial Times, Thompson said “There are plenty of things we have to fix at CNN,” as the network sits in third place behind competitors Fox News and MSNBC.
Mark Thompson was tabbed by Warner Bros. Discovery to lead the network forward after resurrecting The New York Times with a digital focus, something he hopes to implement at CNN.
“The idea that there might be digital subscription is a serious possibility,” Thompson said of CNN’s potential future, adding “I think it’s quite likely that we’ll end up there.”
While many view the success of Fox News, MSNBC, and even the up-start Newsmax as challengers for CNN, Mark Thompson pointed to a different challenge as the biggest threat to the survival and success of the network.
“Do we want to get more competitive in cable TV and by strengthening our schedules? Yes, we do,” he said. “But the rate at which people have been and probably will continue to cut the cord and not look at cable TV at all is a far, far greater strategic threat than the finer points of competition between individual cable channels.”
