Warner Bros. Discovery said that it will launch CNN Max, a new 24 hour, seven day a week streaming service that will be part of its Max streaming service on Sept. 27.
The launch is being described as an “open beta” that will enable experimentation with product features, content offering and original storytelling with input and feedback from viewers. Subscribers to all tiers of Max will have access to the streaming news service.
Warner Bros. Discovery cannot simply stream the current CNN channel because distribution agreements promise exclusivity to the cable operators who pay lucrative carriage fees. The new service will draw on programming now being broadcast in the U.S. via CNN International and CNN U.S., though. WarnerMedia launched CNN Plus, a streaming service, but it was quickly folded after Discovery acquired WarnerMedia and balked at the expense.
On Discovery Warner Bros.'s recent earnings call, CEO David Zaslav said the company was making plans to add live sports and news to the Max streaming service.
The new CNN Max streaming service will include programming built specifically for the Max streaming audience, but feature familiar brands and talent like CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta, Rahel Solomon, Amara Walker and Fredricka Whitfield, and CNN Newsroom with Jim Sciutto. Sciutto will also lead breaking news coverage on the platform in the afternoons. CNN Max will additionally feature Amanpour, Anderson Cooper 360, The Lead with Jake Tapper, The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, and other anchors, correspondents and contributors.
CNN recently announced a new programming lineup for its ratings-challenged cable channel.
“As we laid out at our launch only a few months ago, our vision for Max is to be The One to Watch for all members of a household,“ JB Perrette, CEO and president, Global Streaming and Games, for Warner Bros. Discovery, said. “We have the broadest and highest quality entertainment offering, and now will include world-leading news as a meaningful addition for all Max subscribers, at no extra charge.”
“CNN Max is differentiated by having 24/7 news at its core from CNN, the leading global news organization, and being available on a scaled streaming service in the U.S., which has a significantly younger and additive audience compared to traditional TV,“ Perrette said. “This provides even more quality choices for Max customers who will be able to easily catch up on what is happening in the world, particularly in moments of breaking news, all within one seamless experience. We’re excited to engage our Max community in this initial beta stage to help us learn and develop what appeals most to our customers in this new genre.”
The currently branded CNN Originals hub on Max will be renamed CNN Max, where subscribers have expanded access to the CNN Max 24/7 live stream, CNN Originals and other news content.
