WarnerMedia Announces The Launch Of CNN+ Streaming Service

If you happen to fall into both the categories of “streaming video binge-watcher” and “breaking news junkie,” you’ll likely also fall squarely into the target demo for CNN’s new service.

In a statement Monday morning, president of CNN Worldwide Jeff Zucker announced the network will launch a subscription streaming sister-service early next year called — you guessed it — CNN+.

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CNN+ will exist adjacent to the 24-hours cable news station and feature original programs, a library of past CNN content, and eight to twelve hours of live programming per day.

It’s unclear whether the service will feature an abundance of original live programming or primarily rebroadcast content beamed out from the CNN mothership. In fact, there’s a number of details still up in the air:

• The monthly price of CNN+ is yet to be determined, though CNN chief digital officer Andrew Morse did say in an interview with Variety that the service will start off entirely supported by subscriptions, with no ad-supported subscription option planned for launch.
• Morse also said CNN+ would not be bundled with WarnerMedia’s existing streamers, Discovery+ and HBO Max. But other affiliated sources told Variety there’s a strong possibility Warner will eventually bundle up streaming services upon finalizing its merger with Discovery next year.

Here’s what is clear: after a record 2020, CNN’s ratings are down this year. And with six million Americans cutting the cable in 2020, CNN+ offers the network what Morse calls a “high stakes” attempt to keep up with audience trends.

Real Original: CNN appears to still be ironing out some kinks before its brand new streaming service hits people’s screens. At least they’ve settled on a name in “CNN+” that stands out from the competition…oh wait.