CNN has been quietly building toward releasing a new direct-to-consumer streaming service — separate from the Max streaming platform utilized by its Warner Bros. Discovery brethren. We now have a better idea of when that platform will launch.
In a Tuesday town hall with employees, CNN CEO Mark Thompson laid out a timeline for when the streaming platform will debut, pointing toward a release date later this fall. More details are expected to be released at the Warner Bros. Discovery upfront, which is scheduled for Wednesday.
A new streaming platform for CNN would fall in line with the digital-first mantra that Thompson has instilled in the cable network since taking over the position in late 2023.
It wouldn’t be the first direct-to-consumer streaming platform attempted by the cable news network. In 2022, CNN+ launched to much fanfare and high-profile talents attached to showcase programming on the platform. However, the service was scrapped just one month after its launch after then-Discovery Communications assumed the cable assets of then-Time Warner.
The network will be the latest to unveil plans for a streaming platform this week. On Monday, FOX Corp. shared plans to launch a new service — FOX One — later this year.
Meanwhile, ESPN released its plans for its long-coming direct-to-consumer offering, which will release in a similar timeframe of FOX One and the yet-to-be-publicly-named CNN platform. That service from ESPN is set to be priced at $29.99 per month. FOX One and the CNN platform haven’t released pricing details yet.
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