Warner Bros Discovery’s (WBD) cable network CNN says it will launch a new streaming app that will be instantly available to subscribers of CNN All Access, the new name for its comprehensive digital subscription.
The CNN streaming app, which has yet to be named, will include a “selection of live channels” along with on-demand programming across all supported platforms — phones, tablets, computers and smart TVs.
CNN stopped short of saying its domestic cable channel will be one of the live channel options within the app. Some pay TV companies previously expressed concerns with CNN launching a live simulcast of some of its cable programming within the streaming app Max (soon to be renamed HBO Max).
Executives at CNN confirmed that pay TV subscribers who have CNN available in their cable, satellite or streaming TV packages will have included access to the new CNN streaming app without any extra cost. Currently, the CNN app unlocks the network’s domestic and international feeds when authenticated with a cable or satellite login.
“CNN has been leading and innovating in video-led journalism since its inception, and the expansion of our subscription offering to include streaming embodies that pioneering spirit,” Alex MacCallum, the Executive Vice President of Digital Products and Services, said in a statement. “We’re giving audiences an even more convenient way to access CNN’s trusted reporting and original programming — brought together in one intuitive, easy-to-use experience.”
The new CNN streaming app comes at a time when CNN is focused on building out its digital offerings with the hopes that news enthusiasts will pay for them. For much of its history, CNN has been dependent on a mixture of advertising dollars and pay TV distribution fees, both of which have eroded as pay TV customers “cut the cord” for cheaper streaming options and marketers shift their spending from traditional linear TV to connected platforms.
Last October, CNN installed a paywall on its website that charges around $4 per month for unlimited access to its news stories, political analysis and product reviews. CNN and WBD have not revealed how many news consumers are paying for access to CNN’s website, but feel that the paywall is a step in the right direction as the network looks for ways to become less reliant on cable and advertising revenue.
CNN typically ranks third in the overall cable news ratings. The top network, Fox News Channel, keeps most of its programming on cable TV, though most shows are available on the streaming service Fox Nation a few hours after they air on cable, and the parent company of Fox News is developing a new streaming service called Fox One that will offer live Fox News programming for around $20 per month.
MSNBC, which generally ranks second among the top five cable news channels, is currently part of NBC News — a situation that will change later this year when it and other cable networks are spun out of Comcast. Live programming from MSNBC remains exclusive to cable and satellite customers, and its website generally consists of blogs that are written as extensions of its opinion programs. The NBC News website is geared toward hard news consumers, and remains free to read.
