CNN announced massive layoffs and a new strategic plan on Thursday, a post-election effort to help the cable channel transform during a challenging time for the media business.

CNN CEO Mark Thompson announced the news to employees Thursday morning, adding that the company would cut about 6% of its workforce, or about 200 people. He added that the company is actively hiring for hundreds of new positions and expects to fill about 100 positions in the coming months, thanks to a $70 million investment from parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.

"The changes we are announcing today are part of this great news organization's ongoing response to profound and irreversible changes in the way audiences in the United States and around the world consume news," Thompson wrote.

The changes include a new streaming service, Thompson wrote, as CNN plans to "develop a new way for digital subscribers at home and abroad to stream our news programming on any device they choose." "It's still early days, but we've identified that there's a huge need for it, not just in the U.S. but in much of the world."

He noted that CNN will "continue to be important on Max, but we also believe this is not the complete answer for a great linear CNN experience in the future."

CNN also plans to grow its digital presence with new subscriber services that present "need-to-know" news in "compelling formats" and "want to consume" with "a foundation of lifestyle news." services combined, and CNN is uniquely positioned to win. "

He said CNN will unveil a new domestic television schedule on Thursday, a move "designed to strengthen our domestic schedule throughout the day and provide international programming to a broader audience around the world."

"We are able to achieve this with this new schedule, which will be widely shared and distributed later today, while also putting our production costs on a sustainable footing to accommodate the continued growth of linear television platforms. Changing economic conditions," he added. "Like other companies in our industry, we must address these economic issues if we are to maintain a high quality of service to our loyal existing audience."

Thompson joined CNN last year after Chris Licht was fired. The former CEO of The New York Times is tasked with turning around the venerable cable news channel, specifically determining the business's digital future.

In early 2024, he outlined the new organizational structure and outlined his overall thoughts on the direction of CNN. This summer, CNN laid off about 100 employees in preparation for digital transformation. It launched a digital paywall in October, a major strategic shift.

You can read his memo below.

Everyone,

Two weeks ago, at our first town hall meeting of 2025, I told you that I know there is a lot of anxiety at CNN about future organizational changes, and as soon as we can detail those changes, we will do so immediately. That moment has arrived, and today you'll hear not only my voice, but several of my senior colleagues' voices as they describe the next phase of change at CNN.

The changes we are announcing today are part of this great news organization’s ongoing response to profound and irreversible changes in the way audiences in the United States and around the world consume news. From linear to digital, fixed to mobile, traditional long-form broadcast to any number of different formats and use cases. This is not and cannot be a single set of changes, but rather a process of investment, experimentation and adaptation that lasts for several years. Our goal is simple: ensure CNN's future as one of the world's greatest news organizations by shifting its focus to the platforms and products where audiences themselves are shifting. More than ever, America and the world need high-quality, unbiased, and trustworthy news sources. This difficult and sometimes painful process of change is the only way to ensure we can still deliver it.

Today's news is first and foremost about investing in the future. Yes, there will be job losses - about 6% of CNN's current staff will be affected - but we don't expect the total to drop significantly this year, if at all. This is because we have invested $70 million in digital initiatives and will create many new jobs. Some of the funding is for product and technology, but a lot is also going toward new high-quality journalism and storytelling. This is our position. It’s also at the heart of every successful digital news strategy. At the same time, I know that whatever the total number of job losses, the impact on the individuals involved is likely to be significant. The process of change is vital if we are to thrive in the future, but I both acknowledge and lament its real-world consequences for humanity.

My colleagues will go into more detail about the changes, but here's a summary of the main headlines:

streaming media

CNN Max has been a huge resource for us. We've been able to get our news and storytelling content in front of Max's 110 million global subscribers and test and understand which shows large streaming audiences engage with, spend time watching and return to the service again and again to consume. We will continue to play an important role in Max, but we also believe this is not the complete answer to the future of great linear CNN experiences.

Today, I can announce our plans to develop a new way for digital subscribers at home and abroad to stream our news programming on any device they choose. It's still early days, but we've identified that there's a huge need for it, not just in the U.S. but in much of the world. Over the next few months, we will have more to say about this new digital offering, including content plans and how we will work with existing and future distribution partners to bring it to market.

digital

The new digital products and services organization has accomplished a lot in just nine months since Alex MacCallum joined CNN to lead it, including building our first direct-to-consumer subscription product, launching across all our digital platforms Vertical video carousel, refreshing content. Throughout the CNN.com website, we launched digital magic walls and live commentary modules, created new innovation teams and established new data analysis and digital business support capabilities, and more.

Now, in addition to developing new streaming products, Alex will announce a series of further initiatives, including a further shift to digital video, the development and launch of CNN's first lifestyle-oriented digital products, and news partnerships. Innovate our multimedia storytelling capabilities and create new premium digital advertising experiences to drive sustainable and scalable advertising revenue.

She will also detail the reorganization of the leadership team, including the creation of new content and transformation, audience and feature teams to complement her direct reports. As a result, we have also appointed a number of new positions at various levels of the organization as part of Warner Bros. Discovery Channel's investment in this strategic effort and CNN's path forward. Recruiting the right people will take some time, but we hope to open and fill at least 100 new positions in the coming months to help execute the new plan.

Brand new TV schedule

Innovation also touches upon our traditional television experience. For many years to come, despite our streaming plans, the most financially important manifestation of the CNN TV experience will be our two major television services: 45th Anniversary) and CNN International. Today, we’re announcing an updated schedule for our domestic weekday lineup, bringing energy and a competitive edge to our deliveries. A revised international schedule will be drawn up in a few days.

The changes are designed to enhance our domestic programming throughout the day and deliver international programming to a wider audience around the world. We are able to achieve this with this new schedule, which will be widely shared and distributed later today, while also putting our production costs on a sustainable footing to adapt to the changing linear TV platform economic status. Like other companies in our industry, we must contend with these economic issues if we are to maintain a high quality of service to our loyal existing audience.

We will also simplify and adapt some important aspects of how TV programming will be produced in the future. The changes we made to our morning show a year ago both improved performance and reduced costs. Building on this successful experiment, and with similar goals in mind, we now plan to change the way we deliver programming elsewhere in our schedule. Starting today, Eric Schelling and John Davis will take colleagues through the changes.

Further modernizing our newsroom

In 2024, our newsrooms took on the complex and challenging task of merging into one integrated organization, breaking down the silos between separate digital, TV and international newsrooms. Just a few months after the new structure was implemented, we are seeing measurable progress and clear signs that our new “Follow the Sun” structure is working. We've seen it help us capture global breaking news as it happens and deliver the resulting content simultaneously across multiple formats and platforms. The newsroom also rose to the challenge of delivering outstanding, unique subscriber-only content to support our new digital subscription business and play a key role in shaping our vertical and feature plans alongside digital products and services.

Today we will make a further announcement across our global news organization. We are creating a new video news editorial organization as the next phase in our efforts to coordinate and strengthen our video capabilities across all platforms, including linear television. We're revamping our Washington office to align with the new multi-platform model we launched elsewhere last summer. We are integrating CNN en Español more closely into CNN's main global news operations. We're opening a major new senior position in the news organization and welcoming some great new leaders, including Phil Rucker as senior vice president of editorial strategy and news at The Washington Post, as well as what you'll hear soon ’s new London bureau chief.

employment impact

As I noted at the top, some of today's announcements will mean significant new job opportunities at CNN, but others will result in the loss of some valuable colleagues. It’s also an unwelcome but inevitable part of the change process. Our aim is to contact every colleague who will be affected by these changes as soon as possible – and of course we will do everything we can to help and support them thereafter. In the year and one quarter since I arrived at CNN, we have experienced an incredible period in journalism and have made significant progress in transitioning into the future. I am grateful to each of my colleagues for everything they have done for the company during my tenure and in the years preceding it.

go ahead

2025 has only just begun, but we’ve already seen enough national and international news to remind us how important the success of this great news organization is. I have no doubt that we can do this, given our brand and reputation, given the incredible talent we have, and given the spirit of innovation and commitment that has always been a hallmark of CNN.

Thank you for all you do for CNN and the viewers who rely on us in the United States and around the world.

mark