CNN is making another go of it with a subscription service, announcing an Oct. 28 launch for its “all access” service at a price of $6.99 per month.
Subscribers will have access to live and on demand content, as well as digital journalism.
“It’s an essential step in CNN’s evolution as we work to give audiences the complete CNN experience in a format that reflects how audiences engage with the news today,” Alex MacCallum, CNN Worldwide’s executive vice president of digital products and services, said in a statement. The launch of a new service has been a key initiative of Mark Thompson, the chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, who has worked to merge the linear and digital newsgathering operations.
The All Access tier will give subscribers the ability to stream “a selection of CNN’s live U.S. and International programming,” the network said, as well as a library of CNN Originals and CNN Films. New CNN Originals content will be available a day after their television airing. The network said that the service also will feature exclusive live on-demand content and live events, as well as subscriber-only content on CNN.com.
CNN is offering an introductory rate of $41.99 per year, a discount from the $69.99 annual rate.
That will be different from CNN+, the network’s previous effort to get into the subscription video space. The venture, which last for one month in 2022, featured programming from personalities like Chris Wallace and Kasie Hunt separate from the main network. The following year, CNN launched a stream on HBO Max, called CNN Max, that relied on the network’s international feed. That is being phased out in anticipation of the launch of the All Access service.
Last year, CNN launched a subscription tier for CNN.com content, called the basic tier.
CNN cable and satellite subscribers will get access to the streaming channels, but will still need to subscribe to the basic tier to access CNN.com articles.
The challenge for cable news networks in offering streams of their content has been to do so without jeopardizing the revenue stream of subscription fees from cable and satellite operators. Fox News launched Fox Nation in 2018 and, although it offers on-demand access to popular opinion and news host linear programming, the service has invested heavily in entertainment and lifestyle offerings, including shows featuring Kevin Costner and Dennis Quaid. MSNBC has had a presence on Peacock, but it preparing to split from parent company Comcast and rebrand as MS NOW.
Broadcast networks have offered their own streaming channels — ABC News Live, NBC News Now and CBS News 24/7 — for free. But NBC is looking to offer its own subscription streaming news product later this year.
More to come.
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