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CNN Plus grabs 100,000 paying subscribers

(Image courtesy CNN Worldwide/Graphic by The Desk)

Streaming news service CNN Plus has grabbed around 100,000 subscribers who are willing to pay between $3 a month and $60 a year, according to a report published by Bloomberg this week.

The report, based on a single anonymous source within the company, “suggests a favorable start for a news service in a business where only a handful of players top 1 million customers,” Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg’s story comes less than a week after a CNBC report claimed around 10,000 subscribers were actively using the service on a daily basis.

CNN Plus launched in late March on Apple TV, Android TV and smartphone devices. The service, which became available on Roku devices for the first time this week, offers streaming news and knowledge-based programming, including documentaries.

Shows are hosted by several well-known CNN personalities, including Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer. Other cable news journalists — among them, Chris Wallace and Kasie Hunt — joined CNN specifically to produce programming for the streaming service.

The service is separate from the traditional CNN cable network, which remains exclusive to cable, satellite and Internet-based pay television subscribers.

CNN is a subsidiary of Warner Bros Discovery.

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is a nationally-recognized, award-winning journalist who has covered the business of media, technology, radio and television for more than 11 years. He is the publisher of The Desk and contributes to Know Techie, Digital Content Next and StreamTV Insider. He previously worked for Thomson Reuters, the Walt Disney Company, McNaughton Newspapers and Tribune Broadcasting. Connect with Matthew on LinkedIn by clicking or tapping here.