CNN+ shuts down a month after launch
CNN’s newest streaming service, CNN+, is shutting down just a month after its launch.
In a memo on Thursday, new CNN chief executive Chris Licht said the service would shut down at the end of April.
CNN+ was launched while its parent company was still part of AT&T. It was combined with Discovery earlier this month into a new company, Warner Bros. Discovery, under Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who had his own take on CNN and its Warner siblings.
In his memo, Licht said consumers want “simplicity and full service” rather than “standalone offerings.” Discovery previously suggested merging the new company’s separate streaming services, which include Discovery+ and HBO Max, into a single app.
Licht said some CNN+ content will end up on other corporate networks, and employees of the streaming service will have the opportunity to apply for jobs elsewhere within Warner Bros. Discovery. CNN+ boss Andrew Morse is leaving the company.
“While today’s decision is incredibly difficult, it is the right one for CNN’s long-term success. It allows us to refocus resources on the core products that drive our singular goal: to make journalism even better. of CNN and its reputation as a global news leader,” Licht wrote.
Under AT&T, there were $100 million in development costs and some 500 employees assigned to building CNN+.
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