CNN boss Mark Thompson is set to lay off hundreds of employees following Donald Trump’s successful bid for the White House.

Thompson has set his sights on cutting high-priced hosts and anchors as part of wide-ranging layoffs throughout the organisation.

The left-leaning channel saw lower viewership numbers than MSNBC and Fox News during last week’s Election Night coverage.

According to Puck News, CNN will carry out “layoffs that will impact hundreds of employees across the organisation”.

Puck News added Thompson will fire personnel whose “talents won’t necessarily be needed in the new digital-first landscape”.

The expected changes follow CNN’s dismal ratings during the Election Day coverage last week.

CNN peaked at only 5.1 million viewers during primetime hours last Tuesday compared to 10.3 million on Fox News, according to Nielsen data.