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Jul 19, 2021 - Economy & Business

CNN to hire hundreds of journalists for new streaming service CNN+

Sara Fischer

CNN

CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker on Monday said the company plans to launch its new streaming service called CNN+ in the first quarter of 2022, sources on the company's editorial call tell Axios. The company publicly announced the news minutes later with more detail.

Why it matters: CNN is committing to building out a standalone streaming news operation, after a few failed attempts at creating a standalone streaming app with original content, most notably CNN Pipeline.

  • Several of CNN's TV news rivals, like NBC News and CBS News, have also been investing heavily in standalone streaming news properties.
  • Sources tell Axios CNN plans to hire hundreds of people to help launch the initiative, across all types of content verticals, including news, lifestyle and more.

Details: The new service will feature original, live, on-demand and interactive programming that is separate from CNN's live TV channels, the company said in a statement.

  • At launch, the service will have 8–12 hours of live, daily programming that features CNN’s most prominent talent.
  • It will launch with a library that includes past seasons of original CNN films and shows like "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown," "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy," "This is Life with Lisa Ling," and "United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell."
  • It will build on that library with original series and films developed for CNN+, the company said. More details on that will be revealed later this year.
  • The company also announced new leadership roles for the platform. Andrew Morse, chief digital officer for CNN Worldwide, is the executive in charge of CNN+. Other executives with key roles include Alex MacCallum, who will be general manager of CNN+, and Rebecca Kutler, who will serve as senior vice president and head of programming for CNN+.

What they're saying: “CNN invented cable news in 1980, defined online news in 1995 and now is taking an important step in expanding what news can be by launching a direct-to-consumer streaming subscription service in 2022,” said Zucker, who also serves as chairman of WarnerMedia News and Sports.

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