CNN has been turning its focus to digital offerings in recent months, and that will continue with a new weather app in the planning stages.
In a presentation to staffers on Tuesday, CNN revealed that it will launch CNN Weather — a new app that will use the network’s meteorology and climate teams to produce weather forecasts and dedicated weather coverage — later this year.
“As we build out a subscription portfolio and offering for our users, we are looking to launch a series of lifestyle-oriented products that become essential to people’s everyday lives. Weather is a natural fit for our audience and for the CNN portfolio,” a network spokesperson confirmed to Axios.
Early reports suggest that the new app will be free for users initially, before a paywall is expected to be instituted.
The addition of a weather app for the network coincides with news of an expanded streaming service set to debut later this year as part of the ongoing digital transformation enacted by CEO Mark Thompson.
As part of that digital transformation, CNN has dedicated resources to many lifestyle and subscription-based products.
The network won’t be the first cable network to launch a dedicated weather app. Fox Weather is both an app and a television network from the cable news giant Fox News. It debuted on television in 2021. That platform launched a premium, ad-free subscription membership earlier this year, similar to what CNN plans to do with its new app.
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