CNN+ will shut down just weeks after launch
Just three weeks after the streaming service’s launch, Warner Bros. Discovery announces that it will close CNN+. Variety broke the news. The service will end on April 30, according to multiple reportsmeaning it closes after just 32 days.
CNBC reported last week that CNN+ brought in just 10,000 daily users willing to pay $6 a month for exclusive live, on-demand, and interactive news-driven programming. New CNN President Chris Licht, who was appointed after WarnerMedia and Discovery merged earlier this month, it reportedly recommended killing CNN+.
Andrew Morse, the executive vice president who led CNN+, is expected to leave Warner Bros. Leaving Discovery after a transition period. Reports suggest there may be hundreds of related job losses.
It seems that some CNN+ shows may be tied to HBO Max. CNN itself noted that David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, wants to combine the company’s content into one streaming service. That ties in with the plan to eventually merge HBO Max and Discovery+.
CNN had high hopes for the project. It invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the streaming service and recruited talent from other networks (such as NBC’s Kasie Hunt and Fox News’ Chris Wallace) to host CNN+ shows. The executives of Warner Bros. However, Discovery quickly pulled the plug after CNN+ failed to gain much traction.
For what it’s worth, CNN+ crashed and burned even harder than Quibi. The abbreviated streaming service launched in April 2020 and ended in December. Warner Bros. Discovery could take some solace in the fact that Quibi blew up nearly $2 billion rather than a relatively meager nine-figure figure.
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