CNN was able to keep Anderson Cooper by re-upping him with a new deal that enabled his quest to conquer daytime.
The deal was announced Thursday morning at the same time he revealed plans for a new, syndicated daytime talk show. A CNN spokesperson declined to discuss the length of the contract beyond saying that it was a "multi-year deal."
CNN previously had an exclusive contract with Cooper that was due to expire in 2011.
(Read More: Anderson Cooper Wants to Be the Next Oprah)
In June, CNN insiders told TheWrap that Cooper had been unhappy at the cable news network in recent months. It's likely that Cooper felt happier with CNN once he was allowed to expand his presence to daytime. An individual with knowledge of the situation said his new CNN deal was negotiated in conjunction with the daytime talks.
Cooper denied the reports that he was dissatisfied at CNN in an email to his staff. As of this writing, Cooper has not directly responded to requests for comment from TheWrap.
CNN Worldwide president Jim Walton announced the network's new deal with Cooper Thursday and said it was good news for all of the parties involved.
“I am pleased that Anderson Cooper has extended his relationship with CNN and will be with us for years to come. I am also pleased to congratulate Anderson on his new relationship with Telepictures. We think it will be good for Anderson, good for CNN and good for Time Warner,” Walton said.
Ken Werner is the president of Warner Brothers Domestic Television Distribution, which will market Cooper's new show. In a phone conversation with TheWrap shortly after the show was announced, Werner indicated that Cooper's ambitions were not satisfied with staying confined to CNN's low-rated primetime lineup.
"The way one reads it is that he wants to continue to do the CNN show, but there's a part of his personality and his ambition in another area that allows him to do both," Werner said.
Cooper flirted with daytime broadcast TV in the past with over 30 appearances as a guest host on "Live With Regis and Kelly."
Werner doesn't think Cooper's recent ratings struggles in primetime will translate to trouble connecting with daytime audiences.
"This is totally different. Here's the thing, what TV stations say they're interested in is — number one a name everybody knows, number two likability, and number three, the ability and skill set to pull it off," Werner said.
Based on Cooper's work on CNN and his guest stints on "Live," Werner said he thinks anchor has what it takes. Werner thinks the show will reach audiences who don't enjoy current daytime offerings:
"The way we see it is that all of our research indicates that a large number of people who watch 'Oprah' are big 'Ellen' fans, so there's some overlap there, But theres an enormous part where it doesn't overlap."
Werner thinks Cooper has the potential to reach this untapped daytime viewership with a broadly-focused, "compassionate" news program.
"He's the kind of talent that has a broad array of interests that will connect with the 25-54 year-old audience. We see it as a unique franchise and a distinctive voice," Werner said.
Cooper's new show is currently being marketed to TV stations. Production is scheduled to begin in summer 2011. The premiere is slated for Sept. 2011.
