CNN partners with digital-first Jubilee for Texas Senate town hall
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Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks as CNN moderator Anderson Cooper looks on during a Presidential Town Hall event on Oct. 23, 2024 in Aston, Penn. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
CNN is partnering with YouTube-focused Jubilee Media for a Texas Senate town hall with Democratic candidate James Talarico, the company told Axios.
Why it matters: The deal gives CNN access to Jubilee's young, digitally native audience while providing Jubilee a platform that could further legitimize its role as a channel for political debates.
How it works: The Oct. 14 event, moderated by CNN anchor Erin Burnett, will air live from Texas with an in-person audience of about 60 Texas voters across the political spectrum.
- CNN will select that audience and produce the event, while retaining full editorial control over the town hall, including topics, questions, audience composition and moderation.
- Jubilee provided input on the format, including interactions between Talarico and voters designed to resonate with younger audiences. CNN said voters will have opportunities for more one-on-one interactions with the candidate.
- Following the live event on CNN, Jubilee will distribute the town hall on its YouTube channel, which has 11 million subscribers. Both CNN and Jubilee will distribute clips on social media.
Of note: CNN said it extended an invitation for the same format to Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate candidate.
Context: Jubilee began in 2010 as a nonprofit project before becoming a for-profit digital media company known for conversation and debate formats.
- Notable participants in its videos have included former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, conservative commentators Ben Shapiro and the late Charlie Kirk, and journalist Mehdi Hasan.
Zoom out: The event gives CNN a chance to experiment with debate formats and channels that reach younger audiences ahead of the 2028 election cycle.
- A CNN spokesperson said the Jubilee partnership will help set the stage for its next generation of tentpole live events, a growth lever for its new subscription product.
The big picture: Traditional news outlets and major TV networks have long partnered with media startups to tap into their digital strategies, often helping raise those outlets' profiles.
- Politico partnered with MSNBC on a Republican presidential debate in 2007, shortly after it launched. It later hosted debates with CNN in 2008, driving even more national exposure beyond Washington.
- YouTube co-hosted its first national debate in 2007, alongside CNN. During that election cycle, Facebook co-hosted its first debate with ABC News.
What's next: Asked whether this is the start of a broader partnership, a CNN spokesperson said the door is always open for creative collaboration.
Disclosure: Sara Fischer is a paid contributor for CNN.
