RIP CNN+
2022-2022
Gone and Already Forgotten
That surely didn’t take long!
After only a month after its launch, Warner Bros. Discovery has decided to close the doors at CNN+ and immediately shudder all operations at the streaming service.
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
On April 30th, CNN’s new parent company will cease to exist after the subscription-based streaming service got off to a dismal start with barely any daily viewership.
“While today’s decision is incredibly difficult, it is the right one for the long-term success of CNN,” Chris Licht, the incoming CEO of CNN, wrote in a memo to staffers Thursday, obtained by New York Times.
CNN+ customers will receive a prorated refund on their subscription fee.
Hundreds of staffers employed for the streaming service will continue to be paid and receive benefits for the next 90 days as they explore jobs at “CNN, CNN Digital, and elsewhere in the Warner Bros. Discovery family,” per CNN.
But that didn’t stop liberal journalists working at CNN+ from ‘boohooing’ all over the internet on Thursday.
One particular tweet from a liberal journalist received immense backlash. He expressed dismay over the loss of jobs as a result of CNN+ failure and scolded those who celebrated its downfall.
Cheering the failure of CNN+, however you feel about the idea behind it, is gross. Lots of people are losing their jobs. The high-priced hosts will be fine, but folks who are just trying to make a living in an industry that already pays shit wages… this sucks for them.
— Sam Stein (@samstein) April 21, 2022
Meanwhile, CNN is a so-called “news” agency that advocated for the closing of small businesses and the entire U.S. economy, resulting in the single-greatest unemployment crisis this country has ever seen.
And journalists want the American people to feel sorry for them? HA!
Andrew Morse, head of CNN+ and digital, will be departing the company after a transition period.
The cable news network reportedly funneled a $300 million upfront investment into the service, which drew fewer than 10,000 daily users in the first two weeks. The streaming service lured top talent from competitors, including former Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, prior to its launch.
In an all-staff meeting Thursday, Licht told employees it was a “uniquely shitty situation.”
J.B. Perrette, CEO of Discovery Streaming & International, placed some blame on “prior leadership,” saying that “some of this was avoidable” but that “prior leadership decided to just keep going” with the March 29 launch, CNN reported.
Never once has anyone at CNN considered the possibility that Americans simply don’t want more Don Lemon or Brian Stelter.
Author: Asa McCue
