Warner Bros. Discovery said on Thursday that its CNN+ streaming news service would be shut down less than a month after its much-anticipated launch.
The business, which aimed to cash in on the growing popularity of streaming video and digital news subscriptions, will shut down on April 30. Andrew Morse, the executive who helped establish CNN’s streaming strategy, will also leave.
“CNN Worldwide Chairman and CEO Chris Licht stated in a statement that “news will be strongest as part of WBD’s streaming strategy, which envisions news as a key part of a compelling broader offering along with sports, entertainment, and nonfiction programming.” “As a result, we have decided to suspend CNN+ activities.”
CNN will concentrate its resources on its core newsgathering operations and the development of CNN Digital, according to Licht.
CNN+ debuted late last month, with a mix of famous characters like Anderson Cooper and Chris Wallace, original series, and new features such as the “Interview Club.” However, it had a poor start, with only 10,000 viewers every day, according to reports.
Its introduction on March 29 generated questions about its future as a standalone service ahead of parent firm WarnerMedia’s April 8 merger with Discovery.
J.B. Perrette, the worldwide streaming head of Warner Bros. Discovery, said in a statement that the CNN brand and content will be part of a more comprehensive streaming offering. HBO Max and Discovery+ are two of the company’s other offerings, which it has stated it aims to merge.