CNN to Launch Standalone Streaming App (Again)
Raise your hand if you remember CNN+. You’d be forgiven for forgetting it – the service only lasted less than a month. Back in 2022, CNN+ launched on March 29 and shut down on April 28. Now, the onetime leader in TV news is trying a standalone streamer again.
The New York Times reports company leaders unveiled the plan for a new streaming service during a town hall meeting today. It is expected to launch in the fall.
Don’t expect this new service to be packed with originals as CNN+ was. This version is said to be more streamlined.
No price was announced, but CNN+ was set at $5.99/month or $59.99/year. If this version is slimmed down, you might think the price would be, too. But CNN+ did not include the live, linear CNN channel. Assuming this version does have the live channel, I would estimate it will cost $9.99.
Like the upcoming ESPN streaming app, this new CNN streamer will be available free to anyone who gets CNN through a cable or multi-channel streaming service like DIRECTV or YouTube TV.
Right now, the least expensive ways to see CNN include DIRECTV‘s MyNews channel package ($39.99) or Sling TV ($45.99).
CNN has been struggling since its heyday. For the week ending April 28, 2025, CNN averaged 458,000 total viewers and just 81,000 in the important 25-54 age group. Compared to the same time one year ago, CNN fell 23% in total viewers and 28% in the targeted age group.
In 2024, CNN was the 15th most-watched TV channel, falling behind ION, Hallmark Channel, and HGTV. (Fox News was #5 and MSNBC was #7.)
Comcast decided to dump MSNBC with other channels into a new company called Versant. Warner Bros. Discovery is said to be considering the same strategy, though it’s unclear if the company would want to retain CNN.
