CNN Plus

Warner Bros. Discovery is shutting down CNN+, the start up streaming video effort from CNN.

Indeed, some CNN+ talent hires will be considered for TV or digital opportunities, according to two people familiar with the venture. Quibi Holdings, a start up commanded by media mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg to devise a streaming portal for short-form programming, didn’t last much more than six months, despite alliances with CBS News and other big media purveyors. CNN had also made some deals with talent for CNN+ that it had to unveil, according to a person familiar with the situation. Earlier this week, Chris Wallace, who jumped to CNN from Fox News Channel for the streaming venture, landed an interview with White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on his new CNN+ interview show. The decision curtails CNN’s efforts to join the TV-news streaming wars, which are already being fought by NBCUniversal, CBS News, Fox News and ABC News. MSNBC has unveiled plans to roll out more opinion-led shows in a bid to generate more subscriptions for Peacock, its corporate parent’s streaming outlet. Alex MacCallum was named to oversee digital, and CNN+ employees will be paid for the next 90 days and be given opportunities to explore other positions around the company.

"This is not a decision about quality," new CNN CEO Chris Licht told staff, adding that the brand's programming will become part of a "broader" streaming ...

We have very exciting opportunities ahead in the streaming space and CNN, one of the world’s premier reputational assets, will play an important role there.” The subscription streaming service marked a major bet by WarnerMedia on streaming news, although it took a vastly different approach than many of its competitors. Some shows are expected to find their way to HBO Max, which will become the centerpiece of the company’s streaming efforts. Most CNN+ employees, meanwhile, will be out of a job. But our customers and CNN will be best served with a simpler streaming choice.” While CNN+ will be shutting down, CNN programming is expected to become an important piece of WB Discovery’s overall streaming lineup.

Warner Bros. Discovery is said to be shuttering the rookie streaming platform, even though it launched March 29.

As the company enters an exciting period of change, it is a logical time to make a change for myself. “It has been an honor to work alongside the world’s best journalists these past nine years, and I could not be prouder of what we built together with CNN Digital and CNN+. Our journalism has never been stronger, nor has it reached more people in more places across more platforms than it does today,” said Morse. “I am a great believer that change is critical – for individuals and for organizations. But our customers and CNN will be best served with a simpler streaming choice.” The Warner Bros. Discovery flagship streaming service has struggled to grab eyeballs, with roughly 150,000 subscribers since launch. “We have therefore made the decision to cease operations of CNN+ and focus our investment on CNN’s core news-gathering operations and in further building CNN Digital. This is not a decision about quality; we appreciate all of the work, ambition and creativity that went into building CNN+, an organization with terrific talent and compelling programming. CNN+, the rookie streaming service launched by the new Warner Bros. Discovery on March 29, will be shutting down April 30, just a month after launch.

CNN's new parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, decided to pull the plug on the streaming service after a slow first month.

Hunt, in an interview with The Post last month, had said she was excited to get Licht’s advice on her CNN Plus show. In the months leading up to the merger, Discovery executives had hoped that WarnerMedia leadership would delay the CNN Plus launch, but company brass, led by chief executive Jason Kilar, decided to move forward with it. He had visited with employees in the network’s New York City office on Tuesday, which an employee said made Thursday’s announcement particularly hard. Besides Wallace, CNN Plus was building new shows around several other talents hired away from prominent news organizations, including Kasie Hunt of MSNBC and Audie Cornish of NPR, though the service did not offer the network’s traditional television shows to subscribers. But, the person said that Licht “took responsibility” for the decision in the town hall meeting and displayed strong leadership. On Thursday, new CNN chief executive Chris Licht stunned employees with the announcement it would shutter next week.

In a remarkable turnabout for one of the world's premier television news outlets, Warner Bros. Discovery has decided to shut down CNN+, the ballyhooed streaming ...

In February, addressing a group of anchors and executives stunned by Mr. Zucker’s departure, Mr. Kilar said that the streaming service was integral to the future of CNN. And in March, as the merger with Discovery loomed, CNN held a launch party for the new service at Peak, a sleek restaurant and bar at 30 Hudson Yards not far from the network’s New York offices. (To avoid running afoul of CNN’s agreements with cable carriers, CNN+ did include the live programming that was featured on its cable network.) Still, two people inside CNN said the service had about 150,000 paying subscribers and was on pace to hit the network’s first-year goals. CNN+ made its debut just days before the merger was completed last month, to the frustration of some Discovery executives. Warner Bros. Discovery has about $55 billion in debt, which executives are now under pressure to repay. “It allows us to refocus resources on the core products that drive our singular focus: further enhancing CNN’s journalism and its reputation as a global news leader.” “Then the new owner came in and said, ‘What a beautiful house! “And that doesn’t take anything away from this beautiful house you built. In February, as CNN was preparing to start the streaming service, the network was torn by the departure of Mr. Zucker, its long-serving president and the most prominent proponent of the service at the network. But I need an apartment,’” Mr. Licht said, according to the recording. Mr. Licht and JB Perrette, the head of global streaming at Warner Bros. Discovery, convened several meetings over the past several weeks to figure out what to do with the service. The new corporate owners of CNN are moving to end the new streaming service after a splashy debut.

CNN+, the streaming service that was hyped as one of the most significant developments in the history of CNN, will shut down on April 30, just one month ...

Perrette and incoming CNN CEO Chris Licht notified staffers of the decision in a meeting on Thursday afternoon. Executives had touted the application as the most significant launch since Ted Turner founded CNN in 1980. That's OK. That's all part of change." The prior management team's vision for CNN+ runs counter to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav's plan to house all of the company's brands under one streaming service. Hundreds of CNN+ staffers may lose their jobs. Other programming will shift to CNN's main television network.

The quick demise of CNN Plus drew immediate comparisons to Quibi, the ill-fated streaming service founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg.

CNN Plus did not offer a live feed from its eponymous cable network, but rather companion content featuring additional programing and CNN personalities—a source of confusion for some customers who had expected it to function as an extension of CNN proper. On social media Thursday, the quick demise of CNN Plus drew immediate comparisons to Quibi, the ill-fated streaming service founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg, which folded after six months. Chris Licht, the new head of CNN Worldwide, hinted that some version of CNN Plus could be folded into a larger streaming service at the company.