Warner Bros. Discovery will shut down CNN+ 23 Days after it announced the streaming service.
Warner Bros. According to reports, Discovery will end the streaming service on April 30, just like CNN. It had less than 10,000 views per day. Variety reported that the move follows CNN’s acquisition by its parent company.
CNN and Warner Bros. spokespeople Discovery could not immediately be reached for comment. According to sources familiar with the matter, David Zaslav (the new CEO at Warner Bros.), was upset by the decision. Discovery was launched from the beginning. Zaslav was upset by Jason Kilar’s decision to launch CNN+, WarnerMedia’s former CEO, just weeks before Discovery was due to take over operations.
Chris Licht, CNN’s incoming CEO, sent staffers a memo Thursday morning describing “an important meeting” that would be held at noon. He is expected to inform employees at that time, these people stated. These people claim that Licht already informed Andrew Morse (CNN executive vice president) of the decision. Morse couldn’t be reached immediately for comment.
CNN+ was awash with reports that many employees were going to be laid off within the next few weeks.
CNN launched CNN+ on March 29. It “combines live news coverage with on-demand programming and interactive interview.” CNN stated upon its launch that CNN+ would “establish stronger relationships with news consumers.”
CNN+ featured on-air personalities such as Chris Wallace, former Fox News host, and CNN mainstays Jake Tapper and Don Lemon. Wallace interviewed the White House press secretary in an apparent attempt to increase ratings over the past few days.
Jeff Zucker, the former President of CNN, had created CNN+ to compete with Fox News’ streaming service. After his abrupt departure amid scandal that engulfed anchor Chris Cuomo’s reporting, Zucker was unable follow through with the series of high-profile hirings.
