CNN To Try Streaming Again

Warner Bros. Discovery is creating a CNN-branded live news service for its Max platform that will carry a significant amount of original programming as well as content from the CNN cable channel. 

The Wall Street Journal reports CNN Max will debut Sept. 27 in the U.S. at no additional cost to Max subscribers, Warner Bros. Discovery said Thursday. It will only be available to Max subscribers and won’t be offered as a stand-alone service. 

For CNN and its parent company, this is the second venture into streaming in less than two years. CNN launched with great fanfare a CNN+ service last year, only to see it shut down weeks later when new management took over. 

The announced launch of CNN Max comes weeks after Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav said the company was working on bringing news and live sports to its streaming offerings in the U.S., a balancing act for an entertainment conglomerate looking to grow its streaming subscriber base without cannibalizing its ailing TV-network business.

New programming on CNN Max will include “CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta, Rahel Solomon, Amara Walker and Fredricka Whitfield,” and “CNN Newsroom with Jim Sciutto.” 

The platform will also include simulcasts of existing programming from CNN, including “Amanpour,” “Anderson Cooper 360,” “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” and “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”

The effort comes as CNN is looking to counter a multiyear ratings slump that is taking a toll on its bottom line. The network last week unveiled several changes to its morning, prime-time and weekend lineups a major programming overhaul that followed the recent departure of CNN’s chief executive, Chris Licht, who stepped down in June after a bumpy tenure of a little over a year. 

CNN Max is fundamentally different from the defunct CNN+, which didn’t include access to CNN’s highest-profile content and cost $5.99 a month. Instead of having “The Lead with Jake Tapper” and “Anderson Cooper 360°,” CNN+ featured less newsy fare such as “Jake Tapper’s Book Club” and “Parental Guidance With Anderson Cooper.”