CNN+ To Close

[Sky303]

It looks like CNN Plus is closing after all
https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/cnn-plu...235237913/

[FrancisC]

Axios reporting the same:

https://twitter.com/sarafischer/status/1...Wl5gRf9-1Q

…and now so is CNN’s own Brian Stelter:

https://twitter.com/brianstelter/status/...Wl5gRf9-1Q

[Sky303]

April 30th, wow it lasted one month. I'm guessing the new people wanted it gone as soon as possible, it wasn't in their goals to continue it in the first place.

[TMD_24]

Has to be really embarrassing that they put all this promotion and effort to launch this streaming service only to shut it down barely a month after it gets on the air. It makes you wonder why they even went ahead with this with the merger on the doorstep, could have just waited then or not even announced it. Feel pretty sorry for those who have joined from other broadcasters like Chris Wallace and Kasie Hunt who wanted a long term role on CNN+ only to find out their time there is short lived. You do wonder what their future role is at CNN now. I think Wallace should be given the 9pm slot in exchange for losing his show.

[Mouseboy33]

FNC in typical fashion twists the knife.

https://twitter.com/NewscastStudio/statu...5546876928

---

https://twitter.com/kasie/status/1517175823907930113

[Mr Q]

From CNN+ to CNN-

It sounds like the whole service is being binned, rather than being folded into HBO Max or something else.

[James2001]

Will CNN come back onto Virgin now they seem to have realised people aren't going to pay for CNN stand alone? I miss watching it, but I'm not going to the effort of taking out an extra subscription for it.

[LivefromORL]

I wonder if the CNN+ Original Series and Documentaries will end up airing on CNN during the weekends and HLN during the week or if they'll cease production completely. It'll be a shame to see the live shows, the provided a fresh look and a different approach that will likely get watered down to fit into the main CNN channel. I wouldn't be surprised if 'Reliable Sources Daily', 'The Source', 'The Newscast', and 'Who's Talking' end up on CNN/US and if 'Go There' and 'Big Picture' end up on CNN/I.

Hopefully 'One World' and 'First Move' can take advantage of the two new LED wall studios built in New York for CNN+ and 'New Day' repurposes the DC studio, replacing the CNN+ panels with fake brick, to give it a more spacious home.

[DavidWhitfield]

Discussion of the closure of CNN+ has been split from main CNN topic.

Many thanks! 

[Roger Darthwell]

Well.....that was definitely quick!

[bfgarmy]

Well that's pretty humiliating for CNN.
Have to say though I completely agree with WarnerDiscovery's decision here. The economics of CNN+ were never likely to work - if very few people are willing to tune in to CNN when the channel is only a click away on the remote then why would they suddenly pay extra for CNN+ which had very, very little actual live news and didn't even give the option of watching the CNN channels live.
Thinking people would instead of subscribing to Netflix or Amazon Prime tune in for Jake Tapper's Book Club or would pay extra for Zuckerified CNN rather than using the multiple free and often higher quality news sources around always seemed a stretch.

And the whole is the perfect summary of the Zucker and friends era of CNN which has left its reputation severely damaged. Zucker and friends surely knew that the merger was imminent and surely it was clear Discovery were not keen on CNN+ but rather than holding off the launch or leaving it up to the new owners to decide what to do they decided to spend a fortune and hire a ton of people (with CNN execs surely knowing the rug may be pulled under from it with the new owners) and launch it before the new owners took over.

It sums up the Zucker era perfectly - if Zucker & his fellow execs wanted something to happen it'd happen ethics, journalist integrity and merit be damned. The Andrew & Chris Cuomo chucklefests being a prime example - such an obvious conflict of interest but CNN wanted some 'banter' that would get social media traction so they went full steam on it. The obscene levels of coverage of MH370 or Trump in the year before the 2016 election too were not responsible journalism but because it got eyeballs CNN just went full pelt on it.

An embarassing episode for CNN but the right decision and it does show that Discovery hopefully mean business and will attempt to bring CNN's operations back to basics with the focus on news not talking head panels or 24/7 politics.

[ginnyfan]

Good riddance. Time to take out the trash, Discovery!

[bfgarmy]

I wonder if the CNN+ Original Series and Documentaries will end up airing on CNN during the weekends and HLN during the week or if they'll cease production completely. It'll be a shame to see the live shows, the provided a fresh look and a different approach that will likely get watered down to fit into the main CNN channel. I wouldn't be surprised if 'Reliable Sources Daily', 'The Source', 'The Newscast', and 'Who's Talking' end up on CNN/US and if 'Go There' and 'Big Picture' end up on CNN/I.

Hopefully 'One World' and 'First Move' can take advantage of the two new LED wall studios built in New York for CNN+ and 'New Day' repurposes the DC studio, replacing the CNN+ panels with fake brick, to give it a more spacious home.

Under Zucker I'd have doubted it as pre-pandemic Domestic seemed to take priority and get the snazzy studios with CNNI often just airing from glorified DTL positions.
However under the new owners maybe CNNI will start to get a bit of love again. The CNN+ decision does suggest the new guys mean business and certainly CNNI is closer to 'proper news' than Domestic is.

[RR]

I think it clear that it was rush launched to try to force Discovery's hands - that hasn't worked, but a load of money has been flushed down the drain.

Will CNN come back onto Virgin now they seem to have realised people aren't going to pay for CNN stand alone? I miss watching it, but I'm not going to the effort of taking out an extra subscription for it.

I'm not sure there is a direct connexion, as it didn't launch in this country (and in the US it is still part of cable and satellite packages in addition to CNN+), but Discovery may well take a different view re cable in the UK.

[wilmington]

Hardly anyone here in the US I've talked to understood the concept of CNN+, so no wonder they are shutting it down.