JUST IN:
CNN+ shutting down April 30th.
Reminder, they put 250 million into developing it. The CFO resigned.
— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) April 21, 2022
JUST IN – WarnerBros Discovery terminates CNN+ streaming service at the end of this month, failed after just 21 days.
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) April 21, 2022
Today CNN lost its + and so did stocks.
— Sven Henrich (@NorthmanTrader) April 21, 2022
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.
“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.
variety.com/2022/tv/news/cnn-plus-shut-down-warner-bros-discovery-1235237913/
AC