CNN+ to shut down after only 150000 sign up - Toronto Sun

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Warner Bros. Discovery is shutting down CNN+ as of April 30, marking one of the company’s first significant moves since WarnerMedia and Discovery merged earlier this month.

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CNN had high hopes for the offshoot, but after three weeks only a meager 150,000 had signed up for the news streaming service, which reportedly cost $300,000 to launch.

“This decision is in line with WBD’s broader direct-to-consumer strategy,” Chris Licht, the incoming CEO of CNN, said in a statement obtained by Variety.

“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.”

David Zaslav, the new CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, reportedly was against the ambitious venture from the start, particularly because it launched just weeks before Discovery took over operations from AT&T.

Meanwhile, Alex MacCallum — who was named to oversee digital — and other CNN+ employees will be paid for the next 90 days and be given opportunities to explore other positions around the company, Variety reported.

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It’s unclear if CNN is going to try to keep some of its big-name hires on board including Chris Wallace, who left Fox News Channel for the venture earlier this week, as well as Kasie Hunt, formerly of NBC News, NPR vet Audie Cornish, actress Eva Longoria, and former New York Times food writer Alison Roman.

Some talent deals were not contingent on working for CNN+, and included the ability to contribute to CNN’s broader array of properties, according to an insider.

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Staffers were told the news in a noon meeting, as Licht and JB Perrette, Warner Bros. Discovery’s head of streaming, reiterated that the quality of the product was not an issue. Rather, CNN+ did not work with the corporation’s strategy.

Licht told employees: “It is not your fault that you had the rug pulled out from underneath you.”

CNN+ features live daily news programming, original series, true crime shows, and food and travel docuseries.

“Nothing like CNN+ exists,” Morse claimed last month. “There is no news and non-fiction streaming subscription offering available today, and only CNN can create and deliver a global news product with this kind of value to consumers.”

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2022-04-21 17:34:34Z
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