Who Owns CNN?
Updated onExplore the ownership hierarchy of CNN. See parent companies, holding structures, and ultimate controllers.
Ownership Chain
American multinational news organization and digital publisher delivering 24-hour television news, online articles, live video, and original programming covering national and international events.
Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros. Discovery is a global media and entertainment company formed in 2022 through the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, operating film, television, streaming and news brands including HBO, Warner Bros., CNN and Discovery.
American multinational news organization and digital publisher delivering 24-hour television news, online articles, live video, and original programming covering national and international events.
Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros. Discovery is a global media and entertainment company formed in 2022 through the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, operating film, television, streaming and news brands including HBO, Warner Bros., CNN and Discovery.
Major Shareholders
CNN
Major Shareholders
| Name | Type | Ownership | Voting | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Direct parent company; CNN is a wholly owned division of Warner Bros. Discovery and is not a separately traded company. Warner Bros. Discovery has announced plans to spin off its cable networks, including CNN, into a separate publicly traded company by around mid‑2026, but as of late 2025 CNN remains fully owned and controlled by Warner Bros. Discovery. | Corporate | 100.0% | 100.0% | Nov 2025 |
Advance / Newhouse family group (Advance Publications and related entities) The Newhouse family, through Steven O. Newhouse personally and affiliated vehicles such as AdvanceNewhouse Programming Partnership, Advance Longterm Management Trust, and Newhouse Broadcasting Corp., collectively owns roughly 28% of Warner Bros. Discovery’s equity based on 2025 ownership disclosures, making it the single largest shareholder group and a major indirect owner of CNN via its stake in the parent company. | Family | 28.0% | — | Sep 2025 |
The Vanguard Group, Inc. Vanguard is the largest institutional shareholder in Warner Bros. Discovery, holding about 281 million WBD shares, or roughly 11.35% of the company as of September 30, 2025. This stake is held mainly through index funds and ETFs and represents an indirect economic interest of similar magnitude in CNN via Warner Bros. Discovery. | Institutional | 11.3% | — | Sep 2025 |
BlackRock, Inc. BlackRock and its subsidiaries collectively own about 185 million Warner Bros. Discovery shares (approximately 7.45% of shares outstanding) as of September 30, 2025, primarily through its iShares and other index products, giving BlackRock a significant indirect stake in CNN through its ownership of the parent company. | Institutional | 7.5% | — | Sep 2025 |
State Street Corporation State Street (including State Street Global Advisors) is another major index-fund shareholder of Warner Bros. Discovery, reported as holding around 158 million WBD shares, or about 6.39% of the company, in 2025 filings. This position makes State Street a substantial indirect owner of CNN via its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery. | Institutional | 6.4% | — | Sep 2025 |
Warner Bros. Discovery
Major Shareholders
| Name | Type | Ownership | Voting | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Vanguard Group, Inc. Schedule 13G/A filed Oct. 31, 2025 reports Vanguard beneficially owning about 281.2 million WBD shares, approximately 11.35% of the company’s common stock, based on ~2.48 billion shares outstanding at the time. | Institutional | 11.3% | 11.3% | Oct 2025 |
BlackRock, Inc. Yahoo Finance’s major holders table for Q3 2025 shows BlackRock holding roughly 184.6 million WBD shares, or about 7.45% of shares outstanding; a 2024 Schedule 13G/A had earlier disclosed around 6.3% beneficial ownership. | Institutional | 7.5% | 7.5% | Sep 2025 |
State Street Corporation Q3 2025 institutional holder data list State Street with about 158.3 million shares (~6.39%); a March 31, 2025 Schedule 13G filing reported roughly 169.5 million shares (about 6.9% of WBD). | Institutional | 6.4% | 6.4% | Sep 2025 |
Advance Publications / Newhouse family (via Advance/Newhouse entities) Advance/Newhouse entities (including A/NPP Diversified Holdings LLC and Newhouse Broadcasting Corporation) reported beneficial ownership of about 98.2 million WBD shares (3.97%) in a June 30, 2025 Schedule 13D/A, after selling 100 million shares in a block trade; this stake is often summarized as Advance Publications owning ~3.97% of WBD. | Family | 4.0% | 4.0% | Jun 2025 |
Harris Associates L.P. As of Sept. 30, 2025, Yahoo Finance’s institutional holders data show Harris Associates holding roughly 96.0 million WBD shares, representing about 3.87% of the company’s outstanding common stock. | Institutional | 3.9% | 3.9% | Sep 2025 |
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