CNN Faces Uncertainty Amid Paramount Takeover Bid/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Paramount Skydance’s takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery puts CNN and its cable network siblings into prolonged uncertainty. While CNN avoids being sold to Netflix, it may eventually merge with CBS News. The shakeup comes during ongoing struggles with ratings, strategy shifts, and political scrutiny.
CNN Ownership Uncertainty: Quick Looks
- Paramount Skydance launched a hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.
- CNN, not included in the Netflix studio deal, remains in limbo.
- A successful bid could merge CNN with CBS News under Paramount.
- Paramount CEO David Ellison confirmed interest in combining news operations.
- President Trump supports Ellison but criticized CBS for a recent report.
- CNN struggles with low ratings, ranking behind Fox and MS NOW.
- CEO Mark Thompson is pushing digital transformation and a subscription model.
- CNN’s 2026 budget plan has been approved despite corporate upheaval.
- CBS News has leaned conservative since its Paramount acquisition.
- Regulatory approval of any deal could take over a year.
CNN Faces Uncertainty Amid Paramount Takeover Bid
Deep Look
CNN, long a pillar of American cable news, has been thrust into a new period of corporate limbo following Paramount Skydance’s hostile takeover bid for its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. The bid, announced Monday, introduces yet another twist in CNN’s ongoing journey through industry consolidation and internal transformation.
This latest development comes on the heels of Friday’s announcement that Netflix would acquire Warner’s studio and streaming divisions, excluding CNN and its fellow cable networks. For some within CNN, that brought a sense of short-term relief — but now, with Paramount entering the picture, the future remains highly uncertain.
If Paramount’s acquisition succeeds, it opens the door for CNN to potentially merge with CBS News, which is already under Paramount’s control. David Ellison, Paramount Skydance CEO and the son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison, has indicated he would favor uniting the two news operations. When asked directly on CNBC whether he intended to combine CNN and CBS News, Ellison answered with a simple “yeah.”
Ellison elaborated, saying the goal was to build “a scaled news service that is basically, fundamentally, in the trust business, that is in the truth business, and that speaks to the 70% of Americans that are in the middle.”
While that vision may appeal to media strategists, it raises major questions about editorial direction, leadership, and staff futures at CNN, especially given the recent conservative shift at CBS News. Since Paramount took over CBS earlier this year, the network has repositioned itself to appeal to more right-leaning audiences. One symbolic move was appointing Free Press founder Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief. She’s scheduled to moderate a prime-time event featuring Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The media shift hasn’t gone unnoticed by President Donald Trump, who has expressed admiration for the Ellisons but frustration with some CBS coverage — notably a “60 Minutes” interview with former MAGA figure Marjorie Taylor Greene. “THEY ARE NO BETTER THAN THE OLD OWNERSHIP,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, criticizing Paramount’s decision to air the segment.
For CNN, these ownership uncertainties come at a time when the network is already navigating strategic change and industry challenges. CEO Mark Thompson has acknowledged the turbulence but reaffirmed CNN’s commitment to a digital-forward transformation. In a staff memo, Thompson said: “I know this strategic review has been a period of inevitable uncertainty across CNN and indeed the whole of WBD… But I do think the path to the successful transformation of this great news enterprise remains open.”
Thompson’s plan includes the launch of a new subscription-based digital platform, part of a broader effort to reorient the network as cable viewership declines. CNN’s television ratings have slumped, placing it behind both Fox News Channel and MS NOW (formerly MSNBC). Despite the drop in linear viewership, Thompson confirmed that Discovery Global — the cable spinoff company initially planned by Warner Bros. Discovery — has already approved CNN’s 2026 budget.
Before Paramount’s bid, Warner Bros. Discovery had outlined plans to spin off its cable properties — including CNN, HGTV, the Food Network, TLC, and Discovery — into a separate entity, Discovery Global. The move was seen as a way to streamline the company’s focus on streaming and studios, as traditional cable becomes less profitable.
Media experts believe that any final ownership changes — whether led by Paramount or Netflix — will face lengthy regulatory reviews, possibly stretching over a year. Even if Netflix wins the race for Warner’s entertainment assets, it’s likely that the newly created Discovery Global would still be sold off, leaving CNN in flux regardless of the buyer.
“This era might as well be the roaring ’20s for how long ago it feels,” said Ross Benes, a senior analyst at emarketer.com, referencing the stability CNN once had under founder Ted Turner. Since Turner’s departure in 1996, CNN has been passed between several owners, each with differing visions and priorities.
Benes expects CNN’s uncertainty to linger. “CNN will be in limbo for a while no matter which bidder purchases CNN,” he said.
Whether it lands under the Netflix umbrella or merges with CBS News, the future of CNN hangs in the balance — along with its editorial identity, market position, and influence in an evolving media landscape.
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