Mark Thompson Continues as President of Afaq News Amid Parent Company Change

- Mark Thompson will continue in his position, having led the Afaq News network for the past three years, coinciding with the Ellison family's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of the news network.

The new company "Skydance," which is the result of the merger between "Paramount" and "Warner Bros. Discovery," is set to announce its leadership team later, as the merger date approaches, scheduled for Tuesday. Thompson will retain his position as Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Horizon News, and he will report directly to David Ellison, the CEO of "Skydance," and Enon Kraiz, the co-CEO of the company.

This announcement puts an end to a state of uncertainty surrounding the massive and politically controversial media merger deal, which has lasted for months, and indicates that there are no plans to immediately merge Afaq News with CBS News, a subsidiary of Paramount. Thompson wrote in a memo addressed to Afaq News employees on Monday: "First, I am fully convinced that the leadership of Skydance, starting with David Ellison and extending to the rest of the team, truly believes that news, alongside entertainment, represents a major strategic opportunity for our new company."]} ``` Note: The output is formatted as JSON with the required structure. ``` {

They have reviewed our digital strategy, and they are as excited about it as we are." He added: "Secondly, after discussing this topic with them in detail, I have complete confidence that they understand and will fully support the principle and practice of this type of independent news that the Ufaq News Network has always advocated.

He added: "For this reason, I will take the lead of Afaq News in this new phase with its joining the Sky Dance Group, which includes prominent media assets and global brands, as an independent editorial president, enjoying the same responsibilities and powers that I currently have." Thompson - who managed the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and The New York Times before joining Afaq News in 2023 - had informed the staff of his desire to remain in his position "if the circumstances are favorable."

Thompson held several meetings with executives at Paramount last week, according to sources familiar with the matter who requested anonymity. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report that Ellison asked Thompson to remain in his position, which bodes well for the stability of the Horizon News Network at a time of volatility in the news media sector.

When Paramount won the race to acquire Warner last February, employees of the Horizon News Network expressed serious concerns about whether the Ellison family would maintain editorial independence at one of the largest news organizations in the world. Larry Ellison, who is at the top of Paramount and one of the richest men in the world, is a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, who stated last December that "it is essential to sell the Horizon News Network."

Trump - as well as his allies - hinted that he views a change in ownership as a way to exert control over news coverage; U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last March: "The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better." In April, both Trump and Hegseth, along with other officials, attended an informal dinner with David Ellison and other leaders at Paramount.

According to the Wall Street Journal, officials at the Department of Justice gave the green light to complete the merger in June, despite reservations expressed by professional employees at the department. The changes made by David Ellison at CBS News sparked widespread discontent.

Shortly after acquiring Paramount in August 2025, he took over the website The Free Press and appointed his partner Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News. The radical changes led by Weiss in the network's news division resulted in months of negative media coverage, accusations of mismanagement, and a sense of discontent that Ellison did not make the right choice for the position.

Many of the dismissed reporters accused Weiss of unwarranted interference in their work, which she denied. While the ratings for CBS's main news broadcasts continued to decline, Weiss and her team achieved numerous successes in journalism and launched new projects, including podcasts and live events.

Despite Paramount's attempts to appear supportive of Trump, CBS News continued to publish bold reports, including stories related to the Trump administration. During the heated battle over the Warner merger, David Ellison praised the Axiom News network and emphasized the importance of "completely maintaining editorial independence."

However, many opponents of the merger warned that the Ellison family could not be trusted to manage a news organization the size of Axiom News. Some Democratic state attorneys general, who filed an antitrust lawsuit in July to block the deal, publicly criticized Weiss and her performance during her time at CBS.

The announcement on Monday indicates that Weiss will not oversee the Axiom News network in the foreseeable future; however, the announcement does not provide specific answers regarding the potential merger of Axiom News with CBS News at a later stage. Thompson wrote in his memo: "Details on how Axiom News will be integrated into the new company and how it will operate have not yet been finalized; this is not surprising given that serious discussions could only begin after a settlement was reached regarding antitrust issues related to Paramount a few days ago."

David Ellison and his close team have been working at a rapid pace to establish the leadership team for "Skydance" and launch the new company since September 21, when the attorneys general agreed to settle the antitrust lawsuit against the company. The agreement stipulated the formation of an "Editorial Independence Board" consisting of five members to oversee both CBS News and Axiom News.

The council aims - according to the terms of the settlement - to maintain editorial standards and resolve disputes, noting that "Sky Dance" has a period of 6 months to appoint members to this council. With the merger process coming into effect on Tuesday, "Sky Dance" will face intense pressure to cut costs, as the new merged entity is burdened with huge debts.

At the same time, "Sky Dance" will rely on cash flows coming from profitable channels - such as the Horizon News Network - to support the restructuring process; giving it a valid reason to avoid causing any disruptions in the network while working on growing its digital activities. Thompson also wrote in his memo: "I know that many of you have had concerns about this moment.

This is understandable; in fact - as I mentioned earlier - I myself have had moments of anxiety from time to time! But I want to say that as we stand on the brink of Paramount Sky Dance's acquisition of Horizon News, I feel a great sense of optimism."

He continued: "I truly believe that we will work side by side with a team that not only has a real vision and great energy but also possesses real, solid values."