Programming originally intended to live on the now-closed streamer CNN+ is now moving to CNN and HBO Max, Warner Bros. announced. Discovery today at its first Upfront presentation to advertisers. Shows heading to the linear CNN network include “Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico” and “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.” Another title intended for CNN+ is “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace,” starring former Fox News host Chris Wallace, who will be moving to both HBO Max and CNN in the fall.
However, it is unknown at this time where the rest of the CNN+ series will end up, or whether certain CNN+ titles will appear on HBO Max later.
Before the launch of CNN+, HBO Max was home to many CNN titles, including “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.” HBO Max is a good place for these shows, as Warner Bros. Discovery shared with advertisers that HBO Max and discovery+ improve the consumer experience with a light ad load, averaging less than four minutes of commercials per hour. Plus, 80% of viewers watch HBO Max and discovery+ on their TV screens, and half of them are cord cutters. According to the company, this extends advertisers’ reach to homes without cable.
We’re not sure what the combined streaming service will look like once HBO Max and Discovery+ are fully merged. However, the variety of content – including CNN titles – on offer is sure to attract a diverse audience.
Also, Chris Licht, Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, announced during the company’s Upfront presentation the launch of a current, elongated news show and upcoming titles such as “The Story of HQ Trivia,” “See It Loud: The History of Black Television,” “The 2010s,” “Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down,” and “Little Richard: I Am Everything.”
The 2023 programming is CNN’s attempt at a comeback as the recently launched streaming service. The short-lived streaming service, CNN+ reportedly saw less than 10,000 viewers per day and was shut down at the end of April. It appears CEO David Zaslav had no intention of this the newly merged Warner Bros. to tarnish Discovery.
on CNBC’s Squawk BoxZaslav said: “We looked at it and we looked at the data, the number of users … They had spent a huge amount of money selling an independent product. The subscribers were not there. The users were not there. ..when we looked at the data, the company wasn’t there.”
The cable news network’s streaming service lasted nearly 30 days and spent $250 million to launch the product and another $100 million to promote it. The New York Times reported that CNN planned to spend more than $1 billion on CNN+ in four years, according to sources familiar with the matter. So Zaslav was (rightly) unwilling to invest further in the platform.
But CNN itself isn’t going anywhere and the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery is optimistic about the brand. During the Upfront presentation, the company expressed its determination to strengthen CNN’s role as a top news organization. Light boasted that CNN is “the number one digital property in the world”.
He added: “CNN’s next chapter is one in which we strive to be a beacon for the kind of journalism that is essential to a functioning democracy. The time when extremes dominate cable news. We will try to take a different path, reflect the real lives of our viewers and improve the way America and the world see this medium. We intend to challenge the traditional philosophy of cable news, deliver programs and commentary that question the status quo, shatter groupthink, hold our leaders on both sides of the aisle accountable for facts, and fight fearlessly to get to the truth. .”
