Chris Licht, Chairman & CEO of CNN Worldwide, today announced the appointment of David C. Leavy as Chief Operating Officer of CNN Worldwide, effective June 20, 2023.
A 23-year veteran of Discovery Inc. and Warner Bros. Discovery, Leavy will assume responsibility for commercial, operational and promotional activities across CNN Worldwide, reporting to Licht.
“David’s deep operational experience, institutional knowledge and key industry relationships perfectly complement the strengths of our leadership team,” said Licht. “He is a strategic, versatile and dynamic executive who will work with me and the senior leadership team to help transform our business as we get the full programming slate on the air, build our digital future and grow the CNN brand worldwide. Everyone who works with David has seen how his energy, work ethic and collaborative style positively impact an organization, and I can’t wait for him to join me and the CNN team.”
Leavy currently serves as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for Warner Bros. Discovery and will maintain the public policy and social responsibility oversight on behalf of Warner Bros Discovery in the future.
A Profile of CNN’s COO
Most recently, Leavy served as Chief Corporate Operations Officer at Discovery, Inc., where he was instrumental in many of the company’s most significant strategic initiatives, including the successful launch of Discovery+ in 2021, the company’s public listing on the NASDAQ exchange in 2008; its agreement to acquire Scripps Networks Interactive in 2018; and Discovery and Eurosport’s agreement for rights to the Olympic Games across Europe. Before joining Discovery, Leavy served as Chief Spokesman and Senior Director of Public events for the National Certainty Council and Deputy Press Secretary for Foreign Affairs in the Clinton White House. Leavy sits on the boards of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI). He is a doctor of Colby College and the Salisbury School, where he now serves as Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees.
David C. Leavy’s Vision and Strategy
CNN Worldwide is the most honoured brand in cable news, gaining more men on television and online than any other cable news company in the United States. Globally, CNN International is the most broadly distributed news channel. CNN Digital is the #1 online news destination, with more unique visitors than any other news source. CNN’s award-winning portfolio includes non-scripted programming from CNN Original Series and CNN Films for broadcast, streaming and distribution across multiple platforms. CNN organize can be found on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Español channels, on the CNN Originals hub on Discovery+, on HBO Max and for pay TV subscription via CNN.com, CNN apps and cable mechanic platforms. Additionally, CNN Newsource is the world’s most extensively utilized news solution partnering with over 1,000 local and international news organizations worldwide. CNN is a division of Warner Bros. Discovery.
CNN on Thursday named longtime Discovery Inc. executive David C. Leavy as chief operating officer of CNN Worldwide, effective June 20.
The Future of CNN under David C. Leavy’s Leadership
Leavy, who spent 23 years at Discovery Inc. and its successor Warner Bros. Discovery as a close associate of CEO David Zaslav, will have responsibility for commercial, operational and promotional activities across CNN Worldwide, reporting to CNN CEO Chris Licht.
“David’s deep operational experience, institutional knowledge and key industry relationships perfectly complement the strengths of our leadership team,” Licht said in a statement. “He is a strategic, versatile and dynamic executive who will work with me and the senior leadership team to help transform our business as we get the full programming slate on the air, build our digital future and grow the CNN brand worldwide.”
Leavy currently serves as chief corporate affairs officer for Warner Bros. Discovery. The company said he would maintain the public policy and social responsibility oversight on behalf of the entertainment giant going forward.
The appointment comes as Licht attempts to revamp CNN’s news operations amid a ratings slump. The network was broadly admonished for its “Town Hall” featuring former President Donald Trump — which its media reporter Oliver Darcy said descended into a “spectacle of lies,” but that Licht strenuously defended.
“I unequivocally believe America was served very well by what we did last night,” Licht said on a call with CNN staffers after getting slammed for various aspects of the event.
