CNN+ lasted barely over a month before Warner Bros. Discovery pulled the plug last year amid reports of abysmally lower viewer numbers. But the company still thinks there’s room for live news from CNN on a streaming service.
It’s bringing CNN Max to all Max tiers in the US at no extra cost on September 27th. The new round-the-clock service will “be part of an open beta for news that will enable experimentation with product features, content offerings and original storytelling, all with the input and feedback from the Max community,” WBD said in a press release.
CNN Max will feature original programming, as well as live programs from CNN US and CNN International. New shows include and The streaming channel will feature several CNN tentpoles as well, like and
Meanwhile, WBD will rename Max’s CNN Originals hub to CNN Max. Non-news CNN programming like and will be available through this hub, along with the new 24/7 channel and more than 900 episodes of new and classic programming.
CNN Max is perhaps a less-risky bet for WBD than CNN+. CNN sank hundreds of millions of dollars into that endeavor. CNN+ was more personality-centric, while it seems CNN Max will be aligned with CNN proper’s approach to news. Having a blend of CNN and original programming should help keep costs down too.