Gould also has some ideas for the kind of sponsorship relationships that CNN is hoping to build. “We know that our audience immerses itself in travel content,” he observed. “So how do we really double down on travel in a way that not only inspires our audience to want to take bigger, bolder vacations, but, more important, helps them plan and potentially even purchase those kinds of trips?”

Other potential opportunities that Gould and the larger CNN team are exploring include co-productions, personalized advertising experiences and branded content environments similar to Courageous, CNN’s brand studio.

“We have to be thoughtful and careful because we don’t want to deceive the viewer that an advertisement is editorial content,” Gould said, echoing Thompson’s point about maintaining editorial independence. “While we want to make that experience seamless, we need to ensure that our audience knows they’re watching an ad.”

Forever young

Both CNN and advertisers alike have a vested interest in reaching younger viewers, whose news consumption habits are harder to pin down than their forebears. Thompson said that topics like pop culture, sports and climate change have a demonstrated track record of capturing Generation Z’s attention, especially when that news comes to them via CNN’s digital platforms.

“We have over 100 million Americans coming to us every month on our digital assets, and that scale means we get many millions of younger users,” he noted. “Bringing them back with regular franchises means that, over time, our ability to guarantee those audiences to advertisers is going to get stronger.”

But don’t expect CNN to start gamifying its way into Gen Z’s heart in the same way that Thompson’s former employers at The New York Times have. “We are not announcing any kind of puzzle or games vertical,” he said, chuckling. “That’s not our plan at the moment.”  

Thompson is pleased to report that his actual plans for CNN have been “positively received” at some of the pre-upfront sessions he’s had with advertisers. “I do think that many advertisers are looking for adjacencies of real substance,” he said. “And with media brands like CNN, there’s a tradition of trust, moderation and objectivity. Many brands are saying to us that they appreciate that.”