CNN+ closes less than a month after its launch –

With less than a month to go before launch, the CNN+ streaming service will cease operations as its new corporate owner, Warner Bros. Discovery, analyzes the news giant’s streaming strategy. The service will end on April 30th and March 29th after launch.

WarnerMedia spent about $300 million on CNN+ and planned to spend hundreds of millions over the next few months and years. CNN+ subscribers will receive a fee proportional to their fee.

The decision was announced to CNN staff on Thursday by CNN CEO Chris Licht. Andrew Morse, a CNN digital executive who oversaw the launch of CNN+, is leaving the company. CNN CEO Alex McCallum, who was general manager of CNN+, will head CNN Digital after Morse.

“As we become Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN will be the strongest part of WBD’s broadcast strategy, which includes news as an important part of a wide range of sports, entertainment and non-arts content,” said Licht. in a statement. “Therefore, we have decided to discontinue CNN+ and focus our investment on CNN’s core newsgathering operations and the subsequent construction of CNN Digital. This is not a quality decision; We appreciate all the hard work, ambition and creativity that went into building CNN+, with the organization’s outstanding talent and persuasive programming. But our customers and CNN will be better served with a simpler broadcast option.”

Although CNN+ will shut down, CNN programming will likely become a significant part of WB Discovery’s overall broadcast schedule. Some of the shows are expected to make their way to HBO Max, which will become the center of the company’s streaming efforts. Others may stop at CNN’s digital resources. It is not yet known what he will do after he leaves office.

At the same time, most CNN+ employees will be laid off. Employees were told Thursday that they will continue to be paid and receive benefits for 90 days and will be encouraged to apply for a job elsewhere in the company. After that 90-day period, they will be removed from service for at least six months.

“Customers are at the heart of our strategy,” said JB Perrette, director of streaming at WB Discovery. “In a complex broadcast market, customers want simplicity and a comprehensive service that provides a better experience and more value than individual offerings, and a more sustainable business model for the company to drive our future investments in quality journalism and media. . We have very exciting opportunities ahead of us in the broadcast space, and CNN, one of the main assets of the world’s big names, will play a big role there. ”

The subscription streaming service has signaled WarnerMedia’s main bet on streaming news, although it has taken a very different approach from many of its competitors. While NBC, CBS and ABC focused on free news brands that were expanding their television programming, CNN worked to create alternative programming of shows, including formats such as travel shows, cooking shows and talk shows. And while most competitors were free, CNN+ had a monthly fee of $5.99 (Fox News’ Fox Nation also has a subscription fee and explores other genres).