14-05-2025
CNN to Launch New Streaming Product and Standalone Weather App
CNN is stepping back into the streaming waters with the launch of a new streaming product in the fall of 2025.
Network CEO Mark Thompson officially confirmed the launch during Warner Bros. Discovery's TV upfront at Madison Square Garden in New York on Wednesday.
No official name or pricing was presented for the streaming service, but it will be part of CNN's new All Access subscription service tier.
This will be CNN's second attempt at launching a full-scale streaming product. In April 2022, WBD shuttered CNN+, which had been in existence for less than a month.
The network says this new offering will have plenty of options for subscribers to engage with the network's journalism and original programming. Those options include a selection of live channels, catch-up features, and video-on-demand programming across the CNN mobile app, connected TV apps, and
'CNN has been leading and innovating in video-led journalism since its inception, and the expansion of our subscription offering to include streaming embodies that pioneering spirit,' said Alex MacCallum, executive vice president of digital products and services. 'We're giving audiences an even more convenient way to access CNN's trusted reporting and original programming-brought together in one intuitive, easy-to-use experience.'
Existing CNN linear subscribers will be able to log in to the new streamer at no additional cost, and the network says it will still remain part of the Max-soon to be renamed HBO Max-platform.
CNN introduced its All Access tier in October 2024, with a metered digital paywall on its website for U.S. visitors. Users are able to read a select number of stories, before having to pay a $3.99 subscription fee of $3.99 to unlock additional access, plus subscriber-only content.
CNN+ was priced at $5.99 per month and $59.99 annually, and allowed access to 8-12 live daily shows, new original series, and a library of more than 1,000 hours of programming. It was reported to have had around 150,000 subscribers at the time of its demise.
That previous service was supposed to intended to serve as a placeholder for the network's streaming ambitions and a revenue-generating option apart from its linear channel. Since CNN+ was shut down, the network has had a minimal streaming presence apart from a dedicated tab on the Max streaming service.
Besides the new streamer, the network also announced CNN Weather as its first digital lifestyle product. The standalone app will blend weather and climate reporting with user-friendly features that offer real-time weather information.
CNN received acclaim for its coverage of the Los Angeles-area wildfires in January. The network also received an Outstanding Breaking News Coverage Emmy nomination for its coverage of Hurricane Milton.
