CNN is ushering in a new era today with the launch of its All Access subscription streaming tier.
The streaming outlet is coming to market about three-and-a-half years after corporate parent Warner Bros. Discovery killed a similar initiative, CNN+. The cable news mainstay had also tried recently, with limited success, to add its programming to parent Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max streaming flagship, which is now known once again as HBO Max.
CNN All Access costs $6.99 a month, but subscribers signing up by January 5 can qualify for an introductory rate of $41.99 for the first year.
The new service will begin operating in the U.S. only before expanding globally down the road.
In stark contrast to CNN+ or the Max programming, All Access delivers 16 hours of the same live, linear feed of CNN paid watched by pay-TV subscribers. It is available between 5 a.m. and midnight ET every day, with 16 of those 19 hours mirroring the linear network schedule. On-demand programming, including ongoing original series focused on travel and food, can also be found on All Access.
The new service is available as a connected-TV app through Amazon and Roku, as well as for free for pay-TV subscribers who authenticate their subscriptions through their providers.
The launch comes about a year after the company introduced a digital paywall, with extra content available to subscribers paying $4 a month. Subscribers to the new streaming tier will gain access to that material at no additional cost.
The new initiative is being spearheaded by Mark Thompson, chairman and CEO of CNN, who gained fame in U.S. media and business circles during his stint as CEO of the New York Times. Taking the helm there in 2012, at a pre-Substack time when digital publishers were navigating the delicate process of balancing subscriptions with advertising, he created a number of subscription drivers that succeeded in offsetting pressure on the company’s core news offerings.
Thompson was named head of CNN in 2023, well after WBD unplugged pricey CNN+, which had been a pet project of WarnerMedia during the prior corporate regime. As All Access is entering the market, rumblings are growing of another WBD transaction, with Paramount and other suitors exploring potential acquisitions of all or part of the media giant.
The bet being placed by CNN, that a meaningful number of paying subscribers will shell out for video news, stands in contrast with the prevailing sentiment at other major companies like CBS and NBCUniversal. Their streaming efforts have been free and ad-supported, albeit NBC News is preparing to launch a subscription product later this year. CNN rival Fox News has chosen a different lane with Fox Nation, which does not include any of the linear network’s programming but rather a range of like-minded entertainment and unscripted fare. Fox Corp., however, finally got in the streaming business, launching Fox One last August. It includes access to networks including Fox News.
ESPN similarly just launched a beefed-up streaming product, which blends linear networks and on-demand offerings.
Like Disney and Fox, CNN and WBD are not intending to reveal subscriber figures or manage toward streaming metrics as their main objectives. Rather, the addition of All Access gives them another way to connect with the millions of potential viewers who either never got pay-TV or ditched it because it was too expensive.
“This new streaming offering is unique in the news space – nothing like it exists in the marketplace,” said Alex MacCallum, EVP, Digital Products and Services, CNN Worldwide, in a statement. “We’re delivering all of CNN’s industry-leading journalism in one place, accessible on any device. Whether you are a fan of the live and premium video storytelling on which CNN built its name, or prefer snackable content that catches you up on the day’s essential news and lifestyle stories, audiences can now engage with and consume the full breadth of world-class storytelling CNN and its trusted journalists are known for, however works best for them.”
Along with five live channels, the service offers more than 1,000 hours of CNN Films titles and original series. All Access also includes a tab for podcasts and a well of video content from network talent reporting from the field or weighing in from the newsroom.
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