CNN+ Has Folded After One Month

[Celerity]

The news streaming platform will cease all operations on April 30, according to a memo from incoming CNN president Chris Licht.

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/04/cnn-has-folded-after-one-month

https://archive.ph/7mLE1



Barely a month after it debuted, CNN+ has folded. Touted as one of the most significant developments in CNN's history, the new streaming service that was intended to bring CNN into the digital age will cease operations on April 30. The decision to shutter CNN+ was made after CNN's former parent company, WarnerMedia—also home to TV powerhouse HBO and the Warner Bros. film studio—merged with Discovery, known for its reality television programming like 90 Day Fiancé, to form Warner Bros. Discovery. In a memo obtained by Vanity Fair, Chris Licht, incoming CNN president, announced to CNN staffers that Warner Bros. Discovery and CNN had decided to pull the plug on CNN+.

“This decision is in line with WBD's broader direct-to-consumer strategy,” Licht wrote in the memo. "In a complex streaming market, consumers want simplicity and an all-in service, which provides a better experience and more value than stand-alone offerings.

Under previous CNN president Jeff Zucker, CNN+ made headlines for attracting big name talent to the nascent platform, including Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace, former NPR co-host Audie Cornish, and food writer Alison Roman. “It also is not a reflection of the quality of the talent and content of CNN+, some of which will migrate to CNN’s programming or some of the company’s other networks,” wrote Licht. “The process for making those decisions is already underway and we will communicate to those affected as quickly as possible.”

In the memo, Licht noted that CNN+ employees would “continue to be paid and receive benefits for the next 90 days” and have the chance to “explore opportunities at CNN, CNN Digital and elsewhere in Warner Bros. Discovery.” After that 90 day period, per the memo, “any departing CNN+ employee will receive a minimum of six-month severance (depending on length of service at CNN).”

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[Amishman]

1. Not surprised, it seemed doomed from day one

Specialty service with a narrow target audience, in a saturated streaming service market, at a time when consumers are looking to trim unnecessary expenses.

[TwilightZone]

2. That's not why it's folding.

As clearly noted in the article, it's because of the merger. It's not considered a priority by the new leadership.

[Amishman]

3. and that's about as believable when a politician abruptly resigns to 'spend more time with family'

If it was even remotely profitable to had any hope of being so, it wouldn't be so abruptly abandoned. An executive abandoning a profitable or even viable business line and taking a loss without justification would be neglecting their fiduciary responsibility to shareholders.

[msfiddlestix]

5. ✔️

[dsp3000]

4. i never understood the target audience of CNN+...

i mean what demographic would pay for this service? I never even knew how to get to it.

[In It to Win It]

6. I imagine the audience for a CNN+ would be limited. I think they should have bundled the programming

for CNN+ within one of the existing streaming services, which I think the now-merged company has several existing streaming services.

CNN+ as a standalone service didn't seem to make much sense to me.