A mere 23 days after launch, CNN+ will be shutting down due to dismal numbers and lack of interest.
CNN threw a lavish launch party for the failure that is CNN+ on March 28. They invited executives, on-air personalities, CNN friendly reporters to the soiree that overlooked Manhattan.
Jeff Zucker, CNN president, and WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar were the masterminds behind this utter failure.
Variety reported on Thursday that Variety first reported that incoming CNN CEO Chris Licht told staffers on Thursday morning that an “important meeting” was scheduled for noon.
Andrew Morse, the CNN executive vice president who oversees the newly-launched streaming-video outlet, as well as CNN’s digital and Spanish-language operations, was told of the decision ahead of time. He will be leaving the company
Andrew Morse, the executive in charge of CNN+, will be leaving the network after a transition period according to Licht’s staff email.
“While today’s decision is incredibly difficult, it is the right one for the long-term success of CNN,” Licht said in a memo reviewed by the Journal. “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.”
Brian Stelter tweeted out about the issue earlier today.
CNN+ customers will receive prorated refunds of subscription fees, the company announced.
“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 after it launched,” the outlet reported. “The decision was made by new management after CNN’s former parent company, WarnerMedia, merged with Discovery to form Warner Bros. Discovery. David Zaslav, the chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery, has said that he wants to house all of the company’s brands under one streaming service. Some CNN+ programming may eventually live on through that service.”
Chris Wallace, the former Fox News anchor, was a CNN+ headliner who had a measly 150,000 subscribers while the entire streaming service saw just 10,000 views on a daily basis.
For a major MSM streaming service, those numbers are abysmal.
The site initially charged subscribers $5.99 per month or $59.99 annually for its content which apparently was entirely overpriced.
CNN worked on the launch since the summer of 2021 and invested nearly $100 million into CNN+.
“@CNNplus employees bracing for layoffs possibly as soon as May amid projections of lackluster sales of new streaming channel,” Gasparino reported on Twitter. “CNN employees say new streaming channel could be merged into larger @discoveryplus as early as May unless subscriptions pick up.”
CNN has been a liberal cesspool for years. A company that calls itself the most trusted name in news has completely lost touch with reality. They continue to push misinformation while screeching to the skies about conspiracies, Covid, and Trump.
Is it a surprise that the streaming service nobody wanted is going under so quickly?
