CNN All Access is Now Streaming, Minus the Full CNN Channel

CNN All Access is now up and running. The streaming service offers a grab bag of assorted CNN content, but it’s missing one important thing: the actual live, linear CNN channel.

Yes, really.

Why Is CNN All Access Missing the Full CNN Channel?

The streaming service does appear to offer a schedule very similar to the full CNN channel, though it doesn’t entirely match up.

Comparing this schedule to the linear one on CNN, the All Access stream swaps in “CNN Headline Express” for the first hour of “CNN News Central,” and another “Headline Express” replaces one hour of “The Situation Room.” “What We Know with Max Foster” replaces one hour of “CNN News Central (PM).” “The Brief with Jim Sciutto” replaces one hour of “The Lead with Jake Tapper.” The feed is also different after midnight.

You can still use CNN All Access to watch regular CNN, but only if you connect a subscription from another TV provider. The standard CNN All Access subscription does not provide it.

For whatever reason, CNN owner Warner Bros. Discovery doesn’t want to provide full standalone streaming access the way ESPN Unlimited and FOX One do with their important cable channels.

What Does CNN All Access Cost?

The service is $6.99/month or $69.99/year.

If you sign up before Jan. 5, 2026, you can get the first year for $41.99.

What Is Included in a CNN All Access Subscription?

CNN All Access lists its benefits like this:

• 24/7 global news
• Live coverage
• Exclusive videos
• Original series
• Award-winning films
• Unlimited articles

On the Featured tab, you have access to 3 channels:

• CNN Stream (this is not the full CNN channel)
• CNN Headlines (this is a free channel you could watch with Pluto TV or Plex)
• CNN Originals

There’s a Shows & Films tab where you can watch CNN’s docu-programs like “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper,” “Kobe: The Making of a Legend,” and “Tony Shaloub: Breaking Bread.”

There’s a Clips tab which shows you a junk drawer of clips from CNN thrown together by category.

The Listen tab includes 5 CNN-produced podcasts.

And there’s a Network TV tab that allows you access to CNN, CNN International, and HLN only if you use the credentials of another service that provides them, like DIRECTV or Sling TV.

Should You Sign Up for CNN All Access?

Goodness, no.

While the full CNN channel can be very helpful when it’s not an endless parade of “both sides” panel shows, CNN All Access offers very little worth the premium price. You can always fire up CNN’s YouTube page if you want to see clips.

What Are the Best CNN All Access Alternatives?

I recommend using various free streaming services if you don’t want to pay for a full live TV package.

Plex

Plex is my favorite overall streaming service because of how versatile it is. Use it as a search feature and launchpad for all your premium services, play or share video files on your computer hard drive, watch free TV, and use Plex Pass to stream and record TV from your antenna.

Plex will give you free access to 345 news channels including NBC News Now, CBS News, LiveNOW from FOX, CNN Headlines, BBC News, Scripps News, Reuters, and local news from around the country.

Haystack News

I love, love, love Haystack News. It has almost no ads (you can pay for a premium version if you want to remove them entirely, but that’s hardly necessary.) Haystack compiles the best segments from local and national news and serves them up to you in a feed that matches your interests.

Unlike every other provider on this list, you can skip segments you don’t like or rank them “thumbs down” so you won’t see news like that anymore. Haystack also allows you to follow or omit specific news providers. Its “popular” tab is a special treat. Give this one a shot and you won’t regret it.

Zeam

Follow lots of local stations and channels like CBS News, Reuters, Al Jazeera with Zeam.

NewsON

This free local news aggregator offers segments from 285+ local TV station partners in over 150 U.S. markets covering over 90% of the population.

Scripps News

Although you can find Scripps News on several other free streaming services, it has a dedicated streamer of its own if you’re interested.

Local Now

This service aims to keep tabs on your area by offering local newscasts from network affiliates. There’s national news from NBC News Now, CBS News 24/7, and the same CNN Headlines and CNN Originals channels that CNN wants you to pay for with CNN All Access.

Very Local

This app delivers news, weather, and original local programming from all 27 Hearst Television markets, including Boston, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Baltimore, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Tampa, and Louisville.

Xumo Play

This ever-growing free streamer can deliver NBC News Now, CBS News 24/7, LiveNOW from FOX, BBC News, ABC News Live, Reuters, Scripps News, and CBC News. There are also dozens of local CBS, FOX, ABC, and NBC affiliate newscasts.