CNN’s streaming service shutting down a month after launchAssociated Press, Apr 21, 2022
NEW YORK (AP) — CNN is shutting down its CNN+ streaming service less than a month after its launch, a spectacular flameout for a venture that had attracted stars like Chris Wallace and Alison Roman and was seen as a way to attract a new generation of news consumers.
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In a memo to employees on Thursday, incoming CNN Chief Executive Chris Licht said consumers wanted “simplicity and an all-in service” rather than stand-alone offerings.
The CNN+ service’s flagship was arguably [Chris] Wallace’s daily interview show, for which he left his previous job as “Fox News Sunday” host. Wallace did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
It also featured programming from food-media star Roman, former NPR host Audie Cornish, ex-NBC News host Kasie Hunt, Jemele Hill, Rex Chapman and current CNN personalities Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer, Jake Tapper, Sara Sidner and Kate Bolduan. Some of the shows hadn’t even started yet.
Licht said in his memo that the “incredibly difficult” decision to shutter CNN+ is the right one for the long-term success of CNN. It will allow leaders 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.”
On the television network, Licht is expected to increase CNN’s emphasis on news coverage with less commentary.
He told staff members that the decision was no reflection on the service that they had built.
Licht acknowledged in the staff meeting that the experience with CNN+, at least initially, will have repercussions with personnel and those who might want to come there.
“We have to own the erosion of trust and build it back,” he said.
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