CNN's Mark Thompson Provides Some Additional Details For What He Calls Its 'First True New Streaming Service'
CNN's upcoming streaming service, set to debut in the fall, will be 'one simple way to explore the very best of CNN journalism on your phone, your connected TV or other digital device,' the network's chairman and CEO Mark Thompson told advertisers this morning.
At the Warner Bros. Discovery upfront, Thompson said that the service, which he called 'the first true new streaming service,' would include live channels and news feeds and exclusive programming and other content. He said that further plans will be revealed in the coming weeks, but the launch will be first in the U.S. and then internationally. He also said that it would be part of a new 'all access' subscription, as the network has gone the subscription route on CNN.com.
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The service will be available to current cable and satellite subscribers at no additional cost. CNN said that it will continue to have a presence on Max, headed for a rebrand to HBO Max.
The service will be the network's latest effort to establish a standalone presence to counter cord cutting and draw in younger audiences who have shunned traditional cable and satellite subscriptions. A previous effort, CNN+, lasted just less than a month when it was introduced in 2022, even though tens of millions were poured into drawing new talent for the platform.
Thompson also said that the network's first lifestyle app, CNN Weather, would launch later this year.
'CNN is changing,' Thompson told advertisers. 'We're racing to find new ways to connect with our audiences across the day and around the world.'
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