Who is the real owner of CNN?

The real owner of CNN is Warner Bros. Discovery. The global media and entertainment company acquired CNN when Discovery merged with AT&T's WarnerMedia business in 2022, which the telecom company spun off to its shareholders.

Are CNN and Fox owned by the same company?

The same company doesn't own CNN and Fox. CNN is part of Warner Bros. Discovery's global portfolio of media and entertainment brands. Meanwhile, Fox Corporation (NASDAQ:FOXA)(NASDAQ:FOX) is a separate publicly traded company.

Are CNN and CBS owned by the same company?

The same company doesn't own CNN and CBS. CNN is part of Warner Bros. Discovery. Meanwhile, CBS is part of Paramount Global (NASDAQ:PARA).

Who does the channel CNN belong to?

CNN is part of the Warner Bros. Discovery portfolio of media and entertainment brands. The company owns several other channels, including Discovery, HGTV, Food Network, OWN, and TBS.

Who Owns CNN? | The Motley Fool

Which Company Owns CNN?

By Matthew DiLallo – Updated Jun 26, 2026 at 5:14 PM EST | Fact-checked by Parker Hicks

Key Points

CNN is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, following a merger with AT&T's WarnerMedia in 2022.
Invest in Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) to indirectly invest in CNN, via a brokerage account.
Major shareholders include BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street, with significant holdings in Warner Bros. Discovery.

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NASDAQ: WBD

Warner Bros. Discovery

Today's Change

(-0.79%) $-0.22

Current Price

$27.77

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$70B

Day's Range

$27.73 - $27.98

52wk Range

$11.25 - $30.00

Volume

4.2M

Avg Vol

22.4M

Gross Margin

33.28%

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Who is the owner of CNN?

CNN has had several owners over the years. Turner Broadcasting System created the 24-hour all-news channel in 1980. In 1996, Turner Broadcasting System merged with Time Warner Entertainment, which already had a 20% stake in the company.

In early 2000, former internet giant AOL agreed to buy Time Warner in a $182 billion megadeal, one of the biggest media mergers of all time. A few years later, the company removed AOL from its name, and by 2009, it had spun off the fledgling internet site.

AT&T (T -0.66%) acquired Time Warner in 2018 and then combined WarnerMedia with Discovery in 2022. It spun off that combined company to shareholders following the merger, which created Warner Bros. Discovery.

Today, CNN is part of Warner Bros. Discovery. The leading global media and entertainment company has a portfolio of content brands across TV, film, and streaming. Its iconic brands include Discovery Channel, CNN, HBO, HGTV, OWN, TBS, and DC.

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Who are the largest shareholders?

CNN has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery since 2022, when AT&T merged its WarnerMedia unit with Discovery and spun off the company to shareholders. However, while CNN has one shareholder, its parent company has many investors.

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Shareholder

An individual or entity that owns a portion of a company's stock, entitling them to a share of its profits and assets.

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Institutional investors own most of the media conglomerate's outstanding shares. These were Warner Bros. Discovery's five largest shareholders in mid-2026.

BlackRock (BLK -1.27%): The leading global asset manager held 7.77% of shares, worth about $5.2 billion. The company manages the popular iShares ETF series, including iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV -0.16%), a top-10 holder of Warner Bros. Discovery stock.
The Vanguard Group: The leading client-owned investment manager owned 6.26% of Warner Bros Discovery's outstanding shares, worth a little under $4.2 billion. It held these shares in funds managed for clients, including the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTSM.X +0.00%), the Vanguard 500 Index Fund (VFIA.X +0.00%), and the Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund (VPMCX +0.00%). They were three of the media company's four largest mutual fund holders.
State Street (STT +1.47%): The global financial services and bank holding company held 5.1% of shares, worth more than $3.4 billion. The company manages the SPDR exchange-traded fund (ETF) series. The Communications Services Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLC -1.55%) was the largest fund holder of the media company's stock, while SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY -0.16%) was also in the top 10.
Harris Associates: The private investment management firm held 1.31% of outstanding shares, worth almost $879 million. The fund manages the Oakmark Fund (OAKM.X +0.00%) and Oakmark Select Fund (OAYL.X +0.00%), which were among Warner Bros. Discovery's 10 largest mutual fund holders.

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Who is on the board of directors for CNN?

While CNN is a separate brand within Warner Bros. Discovery with its own management team, it doesn't have a distinct board of directors.

Warner Bros. Discovery's board of directors oversees CNN and its other media and entertainment brands. The company's board consisted of 14 members in 2026.

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Source: Warner Bros. Discovery
NAME	ROLE	BOARD TENURE
Samuel Di Piazza, Jr.	Board Chair	Since 2022
David Zaslav	President and CEO	Since 2022
Richard Fisher	Independent Director	Since 2022
Paul Gould	Independent Director	Since 2008
Debra Lee	Independent Director	Since 2022
Joey Levin	Independent Director	Since 2025
Anton Levy	Independent Director	Since 2025
Kenneth Lowe	Independent Director	Since 2023
Fazal Merchant	Independent Director	Since 2022
Anthony Noto	Independent Director	Since 2025
Paula Price	Independent Director	Since 2022
Daniel Sanchez	Independent Director	Since 2024
Geoffrey Yang	Independent Director	Since 2022
Dr. John Malone	Chair Emeritus	Since 2008

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Board of Directors

A group of elected individuals responsible for overseeing the activities of a company and representing shareholders.

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How to invest in CNN

CNN isn't a publicly traded company, so you can't invest directly in the news network. However, its parent, Warner Bros. Discovery, is publicly traded on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange under the ticker WBD. Because of that, anyone with a brokerage account can invest in its stock.

It's easy to open a brokerage account if you don't already have one. Here's a list of the top-rated brokerage and stock trading accounts. Make sure you research the brokers to find the best one for you.

Opening and funding a brokerage account is the first step to investing in stocks. Additional steps you'll need to take include:

Open your brokerage account: Log in to your brokerage account where you handle your investments.
Search for the stock: Enter the ticker or company name into the search bar to bring up the stock's trading page.
Decide how many shares to buy: Consider your investment goals and how much of your portfolio you want to allocate to this stock.
Select order type: Choose between a market order to buy at the current price or a limit order to specify the maximum price you're willing to pay.
Submit your order: Confirm the details and submit your buy order.
Review your purchase: Check your portfolio to ensure your order was filled as expected and adjust your investment strategy accordingly.

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Who owns CNN: FAQ

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About the Author

Matt DiLallo has been a contributing Motley Fool stock analyst specializing in the energy, industrials, and real estate sectors since 2012. He also covers dividend-paying stocks, pre-IPO companies, ETFs, and other investing topics. He holds an MBA from Liberty University.

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@MatthewDiLallo

Matt DiLallo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends BlackRock and Warner Bros. Discovery. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Which Company Owns CNN?

Key Points