CNN’s brand new streaming service CNN+ is already shutting down, just a month after launching.
This may be one of the greatest media failures in living memory.
CNN spent millions upon millions of dollars building, staffing and marketing this service and it crashed like the Hindenburg just a month after its launch.
Variety reports:
CNN+ Is Shutting Down One Month After Launch (EXCLUSIVE)
Warner Bros. Discovery is shutting down CNN+ as of April 30, marking one of the company’s first significant maneuvers since completing the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery less than two weeks ago.
The decision puts an abrupt end to an ambitious and aggressive venture that people familiar with the matter say rankled David Zaslav, the new CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, from the start. Zaslav was annoyed by the decision of Jason Kilar, the former CEO of WarnerMedia when it was owned by AT&T, to launch CNN+ just weeks before Discovery was set to take over operations. But he was unable to communicate with WarnerMedia management, owing to legal boundaries surrounding the merger process.
“This decision is in line with WBD’s broader direct-to-consumer strategy,” said Chris Licht, the incoming CEO of CNN, in a statement. “In a complex streaming market, consumers want simplicity and an all-in service, which provides a better experience and more value than stand-alone offerings.” Zaslav has been open in the recent past about his desire to combine all of the company’s streaming-video assets, which also include Discovery+ and HBO Max, under a single umbrella.
People are having a field day with this on Twitter:
— Kyle Mann (@The_Kyle_Mann) April 21, 2022
Trending: Democrats Terrified By Possibility Of Republicans Taking Back House And Senate Then Reelecting Trump
If you think you’re having a bad day, imagine being Chris Wallace who left Fox to be the star of CNN+ and CNN+ immediately failed. 🤣🤣🤣
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) April 21, 2022
To grasp the size of the epic failure of CNN+ you have to know that it wasn’t just a stream of the channel for people who don’t have cable. They wasted hundreds of millions of dollars, planned all original content for it, not to mention Chris Wallace quit Fox for a show there! 😆
— Mark Dice (@MarkDice) April 21, 2022
CNN+ DONE! Already!!! 😂
Bye bye Chris Wallace! 👋 pic.twitter.com/XFlYc6PAS1— Adorable Patriot Todd 🇺🇸🍊 (@Adorable_Todd) April 21, 2022
Fox News app is unmatched pic.twitter.com/k88BrN5K6m
— Abigail Marone 🇺🇸 (@abigailmarone) April 21, 2022
Again, this is a historic media failure.
Just stunning.
