According to Variety, the CNN+ streaming service, which began less than a month ago on March 29, has come to an end. The programme will formally stop operations on April 30, one month after its inception, according to the New York Times.
Following the merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia, which placed doubt on the faltering service’s future, it appears that CNN’s digital outlet may not be around for much longer. This comes as the long-in-development programme struggled to attract an audience, with fewer than 10,000 paid users per day being reported.
The news was officially delivered to employees today, but there is no word on what will happen to the service’s material at this time. It was previously speculated that CNN+ material, which does not contain a live CNN feed, could be bundled or integrated into Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO Max streaming service, which is also owned by Warner Bros. Given HBO Max’s strengths in movies, fiction series, and reality shows, but a lack of “hard news” documentaries, this appears to be a wise move for the firm as it continues to revamp its approach to streaming content in general and CNN in particular.
According to CNN (checks source), new Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has expressed interest in consolidating all of the new company’s programming — CNN+, HBO Max, and Discovery+ — under one roof.
“This decision is in line with Warner Bros. Discovery’s broader direct-to-consumer approach,” incoming CNN boss Chris Licht said during an all-hands meeting with CNN personnel. Consumers demand simplicity and an all-in solution in a complex streaming industry, which gives a better experience and greater value than stand-alone options.”
Despite CNN+’s small user base (some figures suggest approximately 150,000 sign-ups, though most likely with fewer active users), the channel is still a giant with 773,000 daily viewers and is a staple of most cable bundles. That is, in essence, why CNN+ isn’t operating at full capacity: the live channel is still tethered to cable bundles, and while it’s possible that CNN+ could have folded in a live broadcast after those contracts expire in the future, it currently appears unlikely – at least for CNN+ in its current incarnation.
Subscribers who have already paid for a CNN+ package will be given “prorated subscription fee refunds,” rather than being automatically rolled into a new service. In addition, CNN+ CEO Andrew Morse is departing Warner Bros. Discovery as part of the transition, making him one among the many executives who have been let go or who have left the company since the merger.
